


Love's Not Void: Rai's Route Part 2

by BlackenShadowCat



Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Battle Scenes, Cats, Character Death, Choose the story, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Humor, I hope, I'm sorry if you're sensitive, Leaks-is-a-bit-of-an-ass, New-devils, OCs - Freeform, Other, Romance, Storyline, There-are-only-bad-endings-right-now, Unfinished-but-will-be-very-soon, all rights reserved-i-don't-own-songs-or-game/Fandom, enjoy, eventual LEMONS, fancy swear words, just read please, lyrics, multi-endings, multi-love-interrests, seriously some will make you laugh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-08 06:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 33,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5486354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackenShadowCat/pseuds/BlackenShadowCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kimberly is trying to get over a traumatic experience. But with feelings towards Rai surfacing, and a new evil after her soul and power, she realizes there are more important things to worry about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Author’s Note:

If you have not read the first half of the book, the VERY FIRST BOOK, I strongly advise that you read it first! You will be confused if you don’t.  
This is Rai’s Route, the only Route of the book serious published thus far. This is an interactive story, which means you will get to choose how you want the story to go. But be warned. THERE ARE BAD ENDINGS. Your choices will decide which ending you get, and the relationship with the character’s love interest (in this case, Rai). 

Happy Reading!  
~Cat


	2. Chapter 1

Three days have passed since then. It’s amazing how time flows. 

It’s also been four days since Kimberly’s first attack. Believe it or not, she was pretty shaken up. I mean, she almost died! She was a few seconds away from being 6 feet under, or in somebody else’s stomach. 

She hasn’t been outside either. She’s avoiding it like the plague, hiding herself in her bedroom. She spends her time on her phone, which can solar charge, or in bed. Of course, she’s not permitted to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. So she uses that tired excuse when someone asks why she’s in her room, in bed, all day. 

Bardo has been a sweetheart, and brings meals to her every now and then. Though, he will try to bribe her to go downstairs once in a while. 

Rai out of the lot has been most concerned. At night he would stay up with her, sometimes sit beside her as she slept for a half hour. Then during the day, he would periodically check up on her, rotating between Konoe, Asato, and himself. 

Funny…Kimberly didn’t recall him being this paranoid in the anime. With Konoe, he was semi-period, but then again…Konoe could passively take care of himself better. The fact that he is male could also contribute to it. He was physically stronger than a female, and was able fend for himself well in battle.   
Wait. Did this mean Rai thought she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself? Oh, words will be spoken on this subject. 

Kimberly looked up when hearing the bedroom door open. Asato was there, smiling kindly at her. 

“How are you feeling today?” 

“Good- er, better than yesterday at least.” 

The cat entered the room, his tail gently swaying in the air. 

“Are you coming down for breakfast this morning?” 

Her pleasant expression dropped immediately. Her green eyes trailed away from Asato, landing somewhere on the ground.   
“Um…not today.” 

Goddamn it, she’s such a coward. 

“Oh, okay.” Asato sounded very disappointed, his ears drooping and a small frown appearing on his face. It almost resembled a boy’s tone, if he were to get rejected by his crush. 

“No, don’t…don’t do that.”

His frown deepened, his dark blue eyes dilating and becoming puffy. 

Wait…if she didn’t know any better, she’d say that his reaction was a little…forced. 

Eyes narrowing, her face became hard. 

She’s being played. The others probably put him up to doing something like this. 

Even so, he did look genuinely sad; just not as sad as he was leading on. 

“Asato,” she said his name sternly. He seemed to take the fake portion of his act out. “Who put you up to this? Was it Konoe…? Was it Rai?”  
His posture straightened, a sigh leaving his mouth. 

“Actually, it was Kaltz’s idea…” 

“What?” You know how you say this, especially in shock? Well, this is that case. 

“Well, we’re all worried about you. You haven’t come out of your room for days. We’re beginning to think you’re sick.”   
Crossing her arms, she laid against her pillow. 

“There’s no way you can pry me from this bed.” 

Asato stared at her for a moment, before clearing his throat. 

What was he doing?

“Never going to give you up~, never going to let you down~… Uh, I forgot the rest…” 

Aw! He was so cute! He’d sing one of her songs, just so she would go downstairs and eat with everyone else? 

Suddenly, she started to laugh. Her volume rose, laughing so hard that she was rolling in bed. 

“Oh my God, alright, alright. I surrender to your will!” 

His ears perked up, and a wide smile appeared on his face. “Really?” 

“Yeah, really.” She wiped away an invisible tear, and took a breath in. “Now help me up. I think one of my legs is numb.”

~

Kimberly hobbled down the stairs. About half way to her destination, she got feeling in her right leg. There was a faint tingling sensation in her toes, but it was tolerable. She could walk without any difficulties.

As the human entered the dining room, she looked at the people gathered inside. The devils were to a side like they usually are, and the cats were sitting at the table. 

“I know what you bastards did. You ordered Asato to put me on the guilt trip, so I would come downstairs. You people don’t have to worry about me. I’m not sick.” 

Razel approached her anyway, placing a hand on her head. 

“She’s not running a fever.” 

Batting his hand away, she took her seat across from Rai. 

“When did you become the human thermometer? I already said I wasn’t sick anyway.” 

“I didn’t trust you.” 

“Nuuuh~!”

Baldo pushed a slice of pizza in her direction. He smiled at her, giving a nod to confirm her inner question.

He had made a whole pizza, just for her. That was precious. 

“Get something in your system, and wash up outside. You’ve been sitting in those pajamas for three days,” Rai said. 

Was this the polite way of telling her that she stunk to high Heaven? And where exactly is she supposed to get new clothes? 

“Thanks, Rai. I needed to hear that I’m in dire need of a bath.” 

“Tch, stupid human.”

“Tch, old man,” she shot back. 

His penetrating eye met hers in an instant, causing her to look down. 

He basically gave her a look that could put Kaltz’s ice to shame. 

“We are going to train later today,” Rai spoke again. 

Well, she supposes it won’t be a bad thing to go outside with someone like Rai with her. She was just hoping he didn’t mind her having a different teacher for the day. 

It wasn’t like she wasn’t thankful. It was the fact that he was too brutal!

“Uh…”

“What? Speak.” 

She looked up, and glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at her. 

“Can I practice with Konoe or Asato?”

He continued to stare at her. 

“Why would you want to do that? I’m your Touga, am I not?” 

“It’s not that, I promise. Its…well, I don’t want to feel like I just crawled out of an explosion when training is over.” 

Froud and Verg ended up laughing hysterically.

“Bluntly put,” Froud sighed, “We wouldn’t mind giving her a day of coaching.”

Kimberly deadpanned, turning to face him properly. 

“You would be any better? At least Rai holds back. One punch and I’m souring to the moon with either of you guys.” 

Froud held up his hands with a chuckle. 

“Now, now, I hold back. I’m not comfortable with holding back, but with you I will make an exception.” 

Agree: Go to Chapter 2  
Disagree: Go to Chapter 3


	3. Chapter 2 Agree

After a long deliberation, she decided to take up on Froud’s offer. It was either him, who was probably going to go a little easier on her, or Rai, the brutal beast that shows no mercy. 

“Alright, let’s get going then.” She stood up, abruptly catching a glare sent in Froud’s direction. 

Rai didn’t seem too happy with her choice. That wasn’t surprising, considering that they were rivals. 

“Very well, I’ll see you outside.” And he disappeared into thin air. 

Teleportation must really come in handy. Man, if she had a power like that…

“What is going through you head,” Rai asked. 

The voice caught her off guard, but it wasn’t nearly as surprising as what he had just said. 

“What?” 

“He’s a devil; the Devil of Joy. What if he purposely hurts you?”

“He’s an ally at the moment. Hurting me would be like dropping an anchor on his foot.”

Rai stood up with a tongue clicking noise. He turned and left the room, not caring to excuse himself. 

At first Kimberly wanted to follow him. But she decided against it. 

It was best to leave Rai to cool down. She’ll probably apologize later. 

~

Kitty exited the Inn, a chill running down her spine immediately. 

‘You can do this,’ she thought. ‘Froud is out here somewhere. So if anything happens, scream and he will hear you.’

She eventually found him standing in the back yard. He chose this place because of the space, and because it had a bit of a decline to it. Space and rough terrain was the perfect proverbial arena. 

“Ah, there you are. I hope Rai didn’t give you trouble on your way out.” 

He did…

“Nope, I just had to finish my food.” 

“That’s surprising. Oh well, let’s get started shall we?”

Out of green mist, a black sword formed in his hand. He waited patiently as she drew her weapon.

Firi’s dagger was considerably smaller than the sword Froud created. It almost looked intimidating. 

“I can make you another one, unless you want a challenge.” 

Damn… she didn’t want to look weak in front of this guy. But she didn’t want to get her ass handed to her by him either. 

“I’m fine.”

Stepping forward, she got into a position. 

She can do this. There’s nothing to be nervous about. The odds were only stacked against her. No biggie. 

Froud lunged forward, his sword purposely missing her head by an inch or so. 

“Are you sure you’re ready,” came his mocking voice. 

Great. He was making fun of her. 

Swinging the dagger around, she knocked his sword out of the way, and they began their fight. 

She was actually holding her own against Froud, Devil of Joy. Somehow the fact made her feel powerful. 

He began to move faster, his sword cutting through the air quicker. 

Now she was panting, hardly keeping up with the movements.

Right, left, duck, swing, swing, duck, left, left, right…

And after 5 minutes or so, she lost her footing. As you would expect, she fell face-first into the ground, somehow tripping over a rock. 

Or, what she thought was a rock.

“What the hell,” she turned back to see something sticking out of the ground. 

It wasn’t trash. It wasn’t a brick either. 

It was a…lunch box? 

“Whatcha got there?” 

Froud crouched down, smiling at the item. 

“How sweet… It’s a time-capsule. Too bad the person never got to dig it up again.” A small chuckle released out of his mouth. 

Yup, this was him alright. Devils in general aren’t as sympathetic as most beings. Some like Kaltz are the exceptions. However, since they weren’t always devils, they remember what emotions fell like. 

Using her hands, she pulled the time-capsule out of the ground. 

It was a spider-man lunch box. In tape, the name ‘Sam’ was on the front. 

Surprisingly enough, it was easy to open. Two latches were holding the lunch box shut. With those opened, you could clearly see what was inside.

The first thing she pulled out was an action figure. There were a few pictures, though unleadable or hard to make out, and a penny at the very bottom. 

“Summer of 1999,” she read, “Good year.” 

“You were a year old at the time, weren’t you?” 

“Yeah… Wait, how did you know that?” 

He looked up to meet her eyes, though he didn’t have any of his own. 

“I was inside of your head, remember? We all were.” 

Fantastic, all the devils know exactly how old she is. All of her dignity as a woman has been taken from her. 

“We also know of your past, and your core memories. Most of them are rather unpleasant, I might add.”

Okay, that she didn’t want them to know. Her ‘core memories’ were probably the most important ones. Take her first birthday, or the day she rode a bike by herself as an example. One of her core memories would have to be about…the death… 

“Do you know what color my bra is too,” she tried to joke. 

“White.” 

Dang…

Deadpanning, she shook her head. “That’s not funny.” 

…

“Okay, maybe a little, but that doesn’t make it cool.”

“Your underwear is black.”

“Stop.” 

“And lacy.”

“I mean it.” 

He smiled, as if provoking her. 

“Did I mention what size they are…?”

Okay, that tears it. You better have an umbrella, bitch, because shit is going to go down!

Lunging forward, she attacked him with everything she could. 

While laughing, Froud gave her a sly grin. 

“So sudden, I didn’t realize.” 

She got off of him, but not before hitting him over the head with the back of her weapon. He didn’t seem to be hurt. In fact, he might have not felt it at all. 

~Go to Chapter 4~


	4. Chapter 3 Disagree

After a long deliberation, she decided to go with Rai. It was either him, who wasn’t a mischievous imp, or Froud, the embodiment of sadism. She’s appreciative that Froud offered, but she’s pretty sure that he’d open a can of whoop-ass on her. Being humiliated in front of him would be the end of her. 

“Fine, have it your way Rai.” She sighed, rolling her eyes in the process. 

“Konoe can tutor you today. I have business to take care of in Ransen.”

Her eyes sparkled like diamonds. “Really?”

“Yes, so long as Konoe has no objections.” Rai glanced over at him, giving the young cat a cold stare-down.

“None whatsoever,” the cat replied, a forced smile on his face. 

‘Oh Rai…what are we going to do with you?’

~

Swords clashed as the two went head-to-head, Sanga VS Sanga. Sweat dripped off both of their faces, determination filling both teenagers. 

Kimberly’s eyes were fiery, a confident smile plastered on her face. 

Konoe didn’t share much of an expression, but his eyes were bold. They nearly seemed aggressive.

“Give up,” Kitty taunted.

“Not even close,” the boy gridded, pushing her back.

She stumbled a little, but managed to catch herself before she fell. 

She was actually holding her own against Konoe. Somehow the fact made her feel powerful. 

He began to move faster, his sword cutting through the air quicker. 

Now she was panting, hardly keeping up with the movements. She didn’t realize it before; but he had been going easy on her all along. Now he was determined to win. 

Right, left, duck, swing, swing, duck, left, left, right…

And after 5 minutes or so, she lost her footing. As you would expect, she fell face-first into the ground, somehow tripping over a rock. 

Or, what she thought was a rock.

“What the hell,” she turned back to see something sticking out of the ground. 

It wasn’t trash. It wasn’t a brick either. 

It was a…lunch box? 

“Hey, are you alright?” 

Konoe crouched down beside her. His intention was to see if she was hurt, but as his eyes followed hers, his concerned expression changed. 

He looked down at the item in perplexity, his hand brushing the part that was sticking out of the ground.

“It’s metal or something…”

She giggled, using her fingers to pull the lunch box out of the ground. Dirt came up with it, although most of it fell off the small case as she brought it closer to her. 

It was a spider-man lunch box, that’s for sure. In tape, the name ‘Sam’ was on the front. 

Surprisingly enough, it was easy to open. Two latches were holding the lunch box shut. With those opened, you could clearly see what was inside.

The first thing she pulled out was an action figure. There were a few pictures, though unleadable or hard to make out, and a penny at the very bottom. 

“Summer of 1999,” she read, “Good year.” 

“What is this stuff?” Konoe picked up the action figure, a small grin coming to his face. 

It was a soldier action figure.

“Are these toys?” 

“Yes, they are.” 

She sifted through what was left in the lunch box. There was nothing but drawings and a small bag of baby teeth. 

“I had one of these. I put a whole bunch of crazy things in there; including a purple feather I found lying around my house. I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. My real father tried to get me to throw it away- so we came up with the idea of the time-capsule…”

Konoe’s ears drooped when seeing her saddened face. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and tried to smile. 

“L-lets go inside. I think we had enough practice for one day.”


	5. Chapter 4

She was in her room again. She had her breath of fresh air, but now she was sitting on her bed, staring at the wall blankly. 

She was mulling over the things that had happened today. It was very eventful. It felt good to get outside. It felt good to be with friends and allies. 

Oh how she wanted to close her eyes and sleep. She wanted to just collapse where she was and dream- dream of good things, like puppies, and cats.

Well, maybe not cats. She’s seen enough of those to last her a lifetime. 

As she felt her eyes begin to fall, the bedroom door opened. Rai stood there, an eyebrow arched high.

“What are you doing?” 

She raised her head immediately, trying to play it cool.

“Nothing. I’m awake.” 

He entered the room, closing the door behind him. 

“You can sleep. I’ll wake you up when its time.” 

She gave a long groan. 

“I want to sleep, but what’s the point if you’re going to wake me in another half hour? Humans can’t sleep for 30 minutes at a time. We need hours of sleep; at least eight.” 

“Too risky.” 

Facing him seriously, she deadpanned. 

“Then one of these times, I may not wake up.” 

You could see the color drain from his face. He continued to stare at her, looking for any hint of deceit. He found none.

She wasn’t messing around. Humans need to sleep. If they don’t, they may go into a coma. Depending on how badly you need to sleep, the coma could last for 1 day to 10 weeks. Then if that happens, everybody will haphazardly have heart-attacks, devils and cats alike. 

“Wait here. Don’t fall asleep.” 

He stood up and left the room. 

…

Eyes were getting heavy. 

Hush little baby don’t say a word~

No! 

Shaking her head, she tried to keep her eyes open as far as they would go. 

She can’t give in. She can’t fall asleep; not until Rai gets back. 

Mama’s gonna buy you a mocking bird~

Her body slightly swayed, her head falling forward. She managed to catch herself before she fell out of consciousness. 

“Come on, come…” she paused to yawn. 

Suddenly bolting upwards, she began to preform jumping jacks. 

Don’t go to sleep, don’t go to sleep, don’t go to sleep…

If that mocking bird doesn’t sing~

Her head bobbed forward again.

Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring~

PLOP

Lying on her side, Kimberly was passed out on the floor. Her body was in the ‘log-position’, only her feet were sprawled out. 

Not a moment after Kitty collapsed, the bedroom door opened. 

Rai and Razel stood in the doorway, looking for Kimberly. They found her, mumbling in her sleep. 

“Can’t sleep,” she uttered. “Everybody…do the flop…” 

Before Rai could speak, her head jerked. It was like a spasm. “No!” 

“What was her condition before you left the room,” the devil questioned. 

“Extremely tired.” 

“Sleep deprivation,” he immediately diagnosed. “If I stay with her, I may be able to ward off dark presences. But I must have complete silence.” 

Rai nodded. “Do what you must. Make sure she’s…safe.” 

~In Kitty's Mind~

Kimberly was skipping through a flowery meadow, without a single care in the world. 

The flowers were of many different colors- some realistic, and others not-so realistic. By that, I mean roses that were lime-green, and daisies that were electric-blue, with purple fading out the middle of the petals.

“Tip toe, through the tulips~”

She paused, seeing a silhouette in the background. 

It was dark, pitch-black, ominous…

Oh shit! 

She ran in the other direction, hands thrown in the air.

“Help, somebody! There’s a bitch in my flower meadow!” 

Suddenly, Razel appeared out of nowhere in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her immediately, looking around for the person she was running away from. 

“Dream Razel? Ohmygosh, thank goodness I dreamt you up! Now kick its ass like you always do!” 

Yes, she had dream figures of the people from Lamento. They were like her ‘boyfriends’ through her roughest teen years, you know? 

It is nothing out of the ordinary for a fangirl, trust me. 

“Such language…” 

Nope, it was conscious Razel. 

“Oh, you’re not Dream Razel after all…” 

He didn’t dare question. 

A darkness started to roll in. The black figure was made known, standing a few yards away from she and Razel. 

“You’re not invited, ass-hat! Let me at him!” 

Razel’s grip around her tightened. 

“If you do so much as touch him, you will be oppressed.”

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. 

“Alright.” She pointed at the figure, knowing that he could see her. “This isn’t over jackass!” 

The darkness seemed to be closing in, thunder clashing as if to laugh at her. She held onto Razel’s arm, jumping every now and then. 

“Hold on, and don’t let go.” 

Red flames surrounded the duo, creating a bearer or sorts. The fire began to spread throughout the field, burning everything it touched. 

Black flames rivaled Razel’s, but weren’t nearly as strong. 

“Tch, the nerve,” the wrath devil spat. “You dare be so bold as to mimic my power? You will regret this. Feel my wrath.”

Oooh shit… 

The red flames began to swallow the black ones, creating a fire monster the size of a small house. It looked like a demon, being tall, bulky, and piercing red eyes. Its form was shrouded in black like a cloak, but it was intimidating nevertheless. 

When it attacked, the stranger stumbled backwards. It fought it for a white, until suddenly reaching into the flames. Slowly, it turned completely back. The eyes eventually turned a different color as well. Instead of fiery red, they were white.

“Oh, I got it!” Kimberly closed her eyes, opening them to see Scar-Face and Lex Luthor. 

“Say hello to my little friend,” Scar-face grinned. He pulled his machine gun out from behind him, aiming it at the other devil. 

Once the tiger was pulled, bullets hurled in its direction. 

“MUAHAHAHA!” 

The bullets hit the monster Razel had created, sending it into dust. Enough said. 

But when the gunfire died down, the black shadow was revealed to be undamaged. 

With a flick of the wrist, the same gunfire attacked Scar-Face. 

The character stood there and took the pain, smiling as he was attacked. It was still heart wrenching. After all, who didn’t love Scar-Face?

Lex Luthor from Superman took his place next. He was in armor, and attacked the inhuman head-on. 

He didn’t last long. It lifted Lex by the throat, suddenly electrocuting the bald man. Tossing him to a side like nothing, the devil stared onward.   
It was like saying ‘next’. 

“I’m out of ideas. Your turn,” she looked up to face Razel. 

“Try to wake up.” 

It’s no use. She was never good at forcing herself awake, especially in nightmares.

But she complied anyway. She didn’t have a better plan. And she certainly didn’t have anything better to do. 

Kimberly could see her bedroom when she closed her eyes. It was like she was looking through a mirror. But she couldn’t cross over. Her subconscious couldn’t even touch the ‘mirror’ without giving her a painful shock.

“I can’t.” 

“Keep trying. I’ll weaken him.”

Her eyes remained closed, but the mirror to the glass looked as if it was thickening. It became harder to see the bedroom. 

“I don’t think it’s working,” she complained. 

“It will. It will have to.” 

“If I try anymore, my body will fall into a blackout. What’s better; me not trying, or me trying and going into a coma?”

Sighing, Razel looked around. 

“From the confidence in your voice, I assume you have a plan.” 

She has none whatsoever. 

“Uh…I can sing?” 

He paused for a moment. 

“That may actually work. Please do.” 

Taking a deep breath in, a smile came to her face. She knew just the song to sing.


	6. Chapter 5

“It's a truth that in love and war,

World's collide and hearts get broken,

I want to live like I know I'm dying,

Take up my cross, not be afraid.

Is it true what they say, that words are weapons?

And if it is, then everybody best stop steppin',

Cause I got ten in my pocket that'll bend ya locket,

I'm tired of all these rockers sayin' come with me.

Wait, it's just about to break, it’s more than I can take,

Everything's about to change,

I feel it in my veins, it’s not going away,

Everything's about to change.”

Multi-colored lights surrounded her form, a bright white circle around Razel and Kimberly. The light went to Razel, his form absorbing on contact.   
A sudden smile came to his face. 

“Now that’s power.” 

He held his hands outward, a red-like beam growing from his palms. 

It was about baseball-sized…then soft-ball sized…then head-sized…about the size of Kimberly’s torso…and it was still growing. 

It flickered twice, before shooting at the target. 

The collision resembled an explosion. The creator left around the inhuman opponent was massive, yet he was still standing. 

Or so he led on. 

Eventually, he collapsed. However, just before the black mass could hit the ground, it disappeared. It was gone.

~Out of Kitty's Head~

Kitty gasped when she woke up. She found herself in the lap of Razel, whom woke up seconds after her. 

She leaned back against the red-haired man, exhausted yet fully awake. 

Rai stood, leaned against the wall casually. His one cold eye directed to Razel. 

“Did it work?” 

“We were successful.” 

“We,” Rai parroted. 

“You felt it, didn’t you,” Razel asked. The ends of his lips curled upwards. 

The cat’s ears twitched and his tail began to make long arcs; long, but fast arcs. 

“Does this mean a devil has to watch me every time I sleep,” Kimberly obliviously interrupted. 

She was still apparently waking up. 

“Yes…just not him.” 

Rai walked over, helping her out of Razel’s lap. His eye scanned over her body, looking for any wound or marking. 

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Stay still.” 

When Rai was satisfied, he gave a nod. 

How long were they out for? It felt like hours.

“Hey, how long was I asleep for?” 

“8 hours.” 

She smiled, nudging his arm. 

When he finally got the irony, he clicked his tongue.

“Tch.” 

“Who’s the best Touga in the world~?” 

Rai looked down at her, his arms folding across his chest. 

“Hum? Come on, speak,” she mimicked. 

“I am.” 

Reaching up, she itched behind his ear. 

“That’s right.” 

Before a purr could emanate from his being, he moved her hand away. His attention was turned back to Razel. 

When Kimberly realized he was still here, she nudged him as well. 

“Who’s the second best Touga in the world~?” 

~

“Come on, say it,” she groaned, following Razel around the room. 

They were all downstairs. Bardo had made everybody dinner. 

The cats and the other devils were currently entertained by the dinner show. 

“Say it!” 

“No.” 

“Please?” 

“No.”

“I’ll give you a cookie!” 

“No.” 

“Two cookies?” 

He turned to give her a soft, almost playful, glare. 

“If I were to want something from you, it wouldn’t be food.” 

“PLEASE?!”

“Fine,” he huffed. 

…

“I am.” 

Smiling, she poked his nose. 

“That’s right.”


	7. Chapter 6

The Winter Festival was coming up soon. Bardo, Konoe, and Asato were trying to put up decorations, while everyone else just chilled out.   
The devils were mostly gone. They were called off for duty, leaving Kultz and Verg here by themselves. With more than half of the cats gone, Kimberly could honestly say she was bored.   
What do you know? Without being in a life-threatening situation, our out traveling, you’re bored-stiff in this world.   
“Hey Verg,” she called.   
He looked at her almost instantaneously.  
“Whaazzuuup?”  
“I fail to understand the significance of the word,” Kaltz said.   
“I’m basically asking him ‘what’s up’,” she clarified.   
The blue haired devil gave a nod. “Understood.”   
Walking over to the shyer person in the room, she plopped down beside him. He slowly faced her goofy expression, and watched as she leaned in closer.   
Reflexively, he backed away, not knowing what to do in this situation.   
“Can you give me an ice-cube?”  
“Must I comply?”   
“You don’t have to. I don’t want to force you into anything.”  
…  
Pressing his palms together, they slowly parted. But as his hand flipped palm-up, he wasn’t holding an ice-cube. A small tiara was resting gently in his hands.   
It was a very beautiful gift. It was detailed as well.   
Taking it from him, she put it in her hair.   
“Aw… I’ll treasure it until it melts.”   
“Yo, do I see you blushing,” Verg teased.   
Kaltz glared in his direction.   
“I didn’t even know you could blush!”   
“Blood has rushed to my face. Simple as that,” Kaltz mumbled.   
Giving him a grin, the white-haired devil chuckled. “And my name is Nancy Drew.”   
Smiling exceptionally wide, Kimberly reared her head around to give Verg a thumb-up.   
“Nice! I haven’t heard that one in ages!”   
“Neither have I, though I mean it more literately.”   
Bardo entered the room, setting small balloons on the table. As he scanned the area, his eyes landed on a latter. He left the room with said latter, but didn’t take the balloons with him. That was his mistake.   
Picking up the wad of rubber, a mischievous smile came to her face.   
“I may have an even better day yet…”   
“Human girls are still scary,” she heard Verg whisper.   
~  
She and the two bored-stiff devils were sitting on the roof. A bucket of water was in Verg’s lap, and Kaltz held the extra balloons.   
Kitty filled the first balloon with water, and tied it tautly.   
“What is this practice,” Kaltz inquired.   
“Pranking.”   
She and Verg high-fived, both sharing the same amount of excitement.  
“It’s basically doing something to someone else, in good fun. In this case, the first person to walk underneath the sunroof is going to get soaked. Now watch this…”   
She dangled the balloon over the ledge of the roof, and saw a shadow near. She let go of it, her two accomplices leaning over to see the outcome of the action.   
SPLASH  
“What the-!”  
Turning away, she muffled her giggling with her shirt.   
“Lemme do the next one,” Verg said.   
“Knock yourself out, brother.”   
He did what Kimberly did, and held it over the roof. When he saw a shadow, he released the mother-load.   
SPLASH  
Kaltz was next. But he decided to partake out of curiosity.  
Then, it was Kitty’s turn once more.   
SPLASH  
She leaned over to see who she hit, but her happy face was wiped clean.

She had hit Rai. 

“Oh fuck, it’s the Po-po. Let’s bounce!” 

The drenched cat heard her voice, and looked upward. 

“Get me out of here!” She batted her hand at Verg, but he didn’t budge. 

It seemed like he wanted her to get in trouble. 

“Kitty…”

Stopping dead, she didn’t move. 

That was Rai’s voice. But he sounded…calm. 

Should she take a look? What if he’s pissed? What if it’s a trap to lure her? He’s slick like that. 

Despite what her insides were telling her, she slowly peered over the roof. 

She met Rai’s dangerous gaze, which was full of irritation.

His white hair was completely wet. Some strands stuck to his face, and his cat tail was unusually still. 

“Might I have a word with you?” 

…

She turned her head with an ‘I’m-so-dead’ smile, and mouthed ‘save me’.

But she knew that nothing could save her from Rai’s reaming. 

~

Rai wanted to hear it all. First, he asked where she got the balloons. Then, he asked what ‘possessed’ her to fill them with water and toss them off the roof. After that, his question was in reference to why she was with ‘those idiots’. And lastly, he asked how much cat nip she had? 

She told him the truth, sugar coated with humor.

1\. Bardo left the balloons on the table.

2\. It’s a human tradition to do for revenge, or when you’re board. 

3\. She dragged Verg into it, but Kaltz just followed. 

4\. Cat nip doesn’t affect her, bitch! She needs something a lot stronger to get her stoned! 

He believed the first three, but for some reason, #4 didn’t sound plausible to him. 

“I wondered with them because there was nothing better to do,” Kaltz commented. 

A likely excuse! Oh wait…she’s the one being persecuted. Besides, he’s telling the truth.

“Push-ups.” 

“Yeah?” 

“How many did you do today,” Rai questioned. 

“Um…none?”

“You can start with 100. If I feel the need, I will raise the count to 200.” 

Crossing her arms like an infant, she turned away slightly. 

“No way! You’ll have to use some Japanese torture method to get me to do that.” 

“You need your strength in order to do them. So the answer is no.” 

Bitch…are you serious? He wouldn’t actually consider that, was he?! 

“You’re my Touga, not my father. And there’s no way in HELL that you can make me do push-ups of any kind!” 

Storming away from him, she went up the stairs, and entered her room. On her way down the hall, she saw Konoe and Asato hanging up decorations, but turned away from their gaze stubbornly. 

SLAM

Ah…peace at last…

Hang on… Shit, she’s still board.


	8. Chapter 7

The Winter Festival is said to last three days and three nights. Two of those nights were spend as it was, and the residences of the Inn haven’t been anywhere near the rave. 

The streets were jam-packed with tourists, people in costumes, and performers. If you dare go outside during the Winter Festival, you better be with someone, or know your way around tell well. 

Why? Because it’s incredibly easy to get lost or kidnapped.

Think about it. 1 out of 25 people have no conscious- and you’re in this large, tight group of strangers, crammed in a single narrow street. If you’re not careful enough, you may get into an even less comfortable situation. Stepping away from your friends to take a squat would be dangerous.

“Isn’t the Library open today?” Kimberly asked, turning away from the bedroom window. 

Rai was sitting on his bed, polishing his weapons. He was working on his short-sword at the moment. 

“Yes.” 

Looking up with her hands behind her back, she took long strides to sit beside Rai.

He felt her plot beside him, but didn’t look her way. This was nothing out of the ordinary for her. She liked to pester the people around her, probably out of sheer ennui. 

He continued to clean his sword, taking no notice of her staring eyes.

…

“Do you want to talk about something?” 

Kimberly shook her head no, her tight smile remaining on her face.

“You know that you’re awesome right,” she said. 

“You want to go to the Library don’t you? It couldn’t be any more obvious.” 

“Can I?” Her voice pitched half way through the question, a hopeful light filling her pupils.

“No.” 

And in that instant, the light was gone. 

“I’m going with or without you, old man.” 

“You know you can’t leave without supervision,” he brought up. “So again, the answer is no.” 

Crossing her arms, she stood up.

Hold your breath (continue reading until the end of Chapter 8)  
Insist you can go alone (Go to chapter 9)

 

Taking a deep breath in, her cheeks puffed with air. She stood there, mouth tightly shut, holding her breath.

“What are you doing?” 

She shook her head, color coming to her face. It was a red shade. 

“You’re going to pass out.” 

She made a ‘nah-uh’ sound through her lips, her hands now placed at the base of her body. 

“You’re turning red.” 

As her eyes started to roll to the back of her head, Rai stood up.

“Fine, I will take you to the Library.”

She gasped for air, but didn’t say anything. The only thing heard were a few panting sounds. 

“Tch. Let’s leave before you try something stupid like that again.”

Taking a hold of his arm, she jumped up and down with excitement. 

“Yay! You’re the best!” 

~

The streets were even more crowded than what she anticipated. From her window she hardly saw any walkway. But in real life, she and Rai had to wait and search for open areas. 

Alright, first time traveling in Ransen~!

Looking around, she saw a lot of different people. She saw cats of all ages and sizes. Most of them minded their own business, but a few casted their gaze to her. 

Nothing to see here…just a girl in the middle of a whole bunch of men…

Catching up with Rai, she held onto the back of his shirt. He took notice, a faint smile on his face. 

“You have nothing to worry about. I am well known in Ransen.” 

After nodding meekly, she leaned over to whisper. 

“I’m not worried. I’m anxious. Have you seen how many people are around us?”

Rai didn’t respond, though she did see his chest vibrate. The vibrating indicated a chuckle, which was abnormal. Usually he shows no sign of emotion. 

Kimberly looked up from the ground, her eyes suddenly catching a distant figure. 

He looked like he was…human. He had no cat ears, nor did he have a tail. He was just standing beside an alley way, smiling at her.   
Wait, another human was in this place?!

Her mouth opened in shock, and the figure started to go down the alleyway. 

She chased after him, accidently pushing and tripping over people. 

“Hey, come back,” Rai hollered. He chased after her, but she was already standing at the foot of the alley.


	9. Chapter 8

Meanwhile, she tried to see where the person went. The whole place smelled unpleasant, but that was the least of her worries. 

Eventually, she saw her target leisurely walking, taking his time and observing his surroundings. 

“Hey, you!” 

When addressed, he turned to face her. He flashed a white grin, and stepped in her direction. “Do I know you?” 

His voice was deep, but also a bit on the husky side. It was hard to describe. In one word, she could say it was attractive.

“No, we’ve never met,” she answered. That didn’t sound quite right, so she decided to add a question, “Are you human?” 

“Who wants to know?” 

She pulled her hood down, and grinned. 

“I do, because if you are, I have a lot of questions.” 

The man crossed his arms in a casual manner. Though he knew she was human, he didn’t seem fazed. He didn’t really have much of an expression.

“No, I’m not human. I just look human.”

Her smile dropped.

That’s discouraging. She was hoping that he was human. 

So if he wasn’t human or a devil, what was he? Could he be a new species? Or maybe he is lying. 

“Well…this is awkward. You’re certainly not a cat.” 

“Does it matter?” He stared into her eyes with light blue ones. They were a gentle blue, almost icy.

Jeeze, they kind of reminded her of Rai’s eye. No, do away with the ‘kind of’ talk. They did look like Rai’s eye. It was a spitting image. 

Speaking of Rai…where was he? Didn’t he follow her here?

“Uh…I don’t know, you tell me.”

He started to slowly approach her, his eyes never leaving hers. The longer he stared, the longer she was drawn to them. No, the longer she stared the more she started to drift off. 

Wow, what the hell is happening? 

“You have such pretty eyes,” he complimented, “I’ve never seen anything like them before.” He reached out, unexpectedly taking her by the waist. He brought her closer to his body, his smile growing. “What do you think about mine?” 

Her cheeks were dusted pink. She couldn’t help it, even if she knew this was wrong. Yes, it was wrong. They were too close for comfort. 

This bastard was trying to put the moves on her!

“They remind me of someone else’s,” she blandly responded. She was insinuating that she wasn’t interested in him.

Her head bobbed down to see his grip tighten ever-so slightly. It wasn’t unbearably tight, but if she were to resist him, he could easily bring her down.

Something was wrong here. I know she’s said it before, but she will say it again. Something seemed fishy about all of this. There’s no way a stranger would do this without a hidden intention. 

“Why are you looking away? Don’t you want to get a closer look?” 

Her eyes shot up to meet his again, but this time they were more intense. They were all she could focus on…until they turned a different color.   
Brown. His eyes flashed brown, before turning back to their previous color. 

Kimberly took this opportunity to rake over his appearance: shoulder-length purple hair, striking eyes, flawless skin…yeah, definitely a devil. 

So why was he doing this? Did he want to catch her off guard? Or is this what he does? 

Okay, she’ll play into his fantasy. But she will be damned if she allows anything to happen. 

Kimberly placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled like an idiot. Her other arm acted like an enticement, her fingers gently caressing his left biceps.

“Do you have a name, or are you going to leave me hanging stranger?” She batted her eyelashes, waiting patiently for his response

Oh yeah. Two can play this game. 

As a chuckle escaped his mouth, he started to lean in. 

“My name doesn’t matter.” 

Just as he was centimeters away from her lips, Kimberly brought her knee to his groin. 

He wheezed reflexively, a groan coming from his mouth. 

His hands loosened, allowing her so slip away without difficulties. 

“That’s what you get for being a man-whore.” 

He tried to straighten his posture, taking deep breaths. He was in pain. 

“Still won’t surrender? Fine. Let me introduce you to Captain Insaneo.”

With her pointer and middle finger, she poked him in the eyes. 

It was probably the queerest thing she’s ever done, but it worked. It worked well. 

His hand went to cover his eyes, his body stumbling back out of shock. 

“What the fuck was that for?!” He let his head fall back, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Captain Insaneo shows no mercy.” 

Then she turned herself around to run away. She didn’t get too far, as she noticed no exit to the alley. There was only a dead end. 

“Wha…?”

Oh HELL no! She knows for damn sure that there wasn’t a brick wall there a minute ago!

“Kitty, right?” 

She turned to face him when hearing her name.

The devil was trying to fix his hair, while attempting to compose himself. Now he looked radically different. 

He had two black horns sprouting from his head, both even in length and size. They were about 4 inches, pointing straight up. 

His clothes had changed as well. Instead of wearing a white shirt with brown pants, he was topless, and wore leather pants. The only thing covering his arms was his black trench-coat, which reached his knees. 

A long thin tail came from under the coat. It resembled Razel’s tail, only it was more kempt. 

He still had the same hair, color and all. Only now it was laid out neater. 

“Let me guess…you are the Devil of Playboys? No, that’s not it… How about the Devil of Assholes? I’m willing to bet I guessed right on that last one~!”

“My name is Cassius, and I rule over vanity.”

Close enough. 

Pointing at the wall, she gave him a smile. 

“You’re work? That’s good, really good… Would you mind taking it down for me? I have someone waiting.” 

He chuckled, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. 

“I’d rather not.” He gestured to his eyes. “For that Captain Insaneo joke, I would give you a10 out of 10. But you hurt my beautiful eyes…”

Now his title is beginning to make sense now. He probably had more love for himself than for life.

“Hey man, you brought that upon yourself. Any women would have acted that way.” 

“No, they wouldn’t have. You see, females find my eyes very…handsome. The longer you look, the farther you fall under the spell. It’s strange how you are the only exception.”

So he and his buddies didn’t know that she was technically dead? 

“That’s probably because I don’t have a pulse,” she sighed, “Ask the freaky shaman. He’s better at explaining this kind of stuff.” 

Shaking her head, she realized she was going off topic. Focus, Kimberly. You are in front of a devil, which most likely wishes to kill you. 

“Alright, enough prancing around. Point is; you can’t have my soul or whatever- so it’s best if you just go and spread the word to your pals.”   
In a blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her. A confident expression was on his face, along with an impish smile. 

“I don’t believe you’re in any position to make commands. Besides, I didn’t come here to kill you. In fact, we all don’t want to kill you. But you were right about one thing. We are very hungry.” 

‘Oh, so eating me isn’t killing me,’ she thought scornfully. ‘These guys are mental.’ 

Pushing him farther away from her, she deadpanned. 

“Then go find someone else to feed off of. I’m taken by four devils as it is. I don’t need you and your friends following me around too!” 

The color and confidence left his face. He stared at her blankly for a moment, before suddenly gripping her hand.

“Come with me. If you come willingly, I may be able to convince the others to spare your life.”

Vanity boy has a change of heart out of the blue? Does he know who she is talking about? If so, why would he act like this? 

Ripping her hand out of his, her eyebrows furrowed. 

“No! I’m not going anywhere with you or any other shady bastard.” 

Cassius lifted her chin, forcing her to look at his hard, and maybe worry-filled, face. 

He wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t calm. He was desperate, but not distraught. Overall, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

“You won’t go with me, but you will stay with the most dangerous group of devils known to man? Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you stay with them, death is certain. At least if you come with me, you will have a chance at life.” 

She harshly stomped on his toe, and took the opportunity to get away from him. 

“I may not know them personally, but they’re more trustworthy than you! RAI, I’m in the alleyway!”

His head slowly turned towards her, his eyes dark crimson.

“My patience with you has reached its peak. If you will not come willingly, have it your way.” 

Kimberly drew her dagger, her eyes narrowing at her opponent. 

Any minute now, Rai…

Cassius’ tail swung back and forth, his intimidating form suddenly shifting. He paused for a while, his eyebrows knitting together. 

It was then that her rescuer, Rai, fell from the roof top above. He stood inches away from his opponent, a menacing cat-like growl rising out of his throat. 

Before the cat knew it, he was engaged in a fight. It was no ordinary fight, either. This seemed to be a fight that wouldn’t end without bloodshed. 

With Rai’s sword swinging, Cassius dodged his attacks. Eventually, he got the chance to trip Rai with his long whip-like tail. 

The white cat fell to the ground, hitting his head hard. He was dazed. 

Rule 1: If you fall, you die.

Rushing into the scene, Kimberly let out a battle cry. She swung her dagger, stabbing the devil in the right shoulder. 

It spun around, his hand crossing Kimberly’s face. She flew into a brick wall on contact, blood trickling from her forehead. Her eyes hastily went back to Rai, whom was still out of it. He was in bad shape. 

And she had just the cure. 

“Mayday! Mayday! 

The ship is slowly sinking, 

They think I'm crazy but they don't know the feeling. 

They're all around me, 

Circling like vultures. 

They wanna break me and wash away my colors.

Wash away my colors!”

A circle of bright light surrounded her, multi-colored beams rising from the ground.

“Take me high and I'll sing, 

Oh you make everything okay, okay, okay

'Kay, Okay, Okay. 

We are one in the same, 

Oh you take all of the pain away, away, away. 

'Way, away, away. 

Save me if I become… 

My demons!”

Rai gradually got up, white light absorbing into his body. He sneered at the devil before him.

“Tch, coward.” 

The inhuman realized the situation he was in, his eyes widening. Rai charged at him, full speed- but just before his blade could touch the enemy, he disappeared.

Cassius had fled like the wind.


	10. Chapter 9 Insist

Anger bubbled up inside of her, her face turning a light shade of red. It was clear she wasn’t happy. 

“I’ve been working on that you know. You don’t always have to be around me.”

“I think you fail to see my reasoning.”

“No,” her voice was now progressing, becoming almost sassy, “I think you fail to see outside of your blinders! Just because I may not be the best at fighting doesn’t mean I’m a damsel in distress. I don’t need a body guard to protect me everywhere I go.” 

His eye met hers, the coldness penetrating her like a syringe. He didn’t look angry. He just looked uncompromising. 

“Very well, then you may go. But if you aren’t back by dusk, and I have to come fetch you, there will be none of this nonsense ever again. Do I make myself clear?” 

Grabbing her things, she waved. 

“Yeah, sure, whatever. See you soon.” 

Kimberly left the bedroom, and stuffed her phone into her pocket. After putting her headphones around her neck, she slid Konoe’s cloak on.

~

The streets were even more crowded than what she anticipated. From her window she hardly saw any walkway. But in real life, she had to wait and search for open areas. 

Alright, first time by herself~! Let’s make this ‘me time’ count. 

Looking around, she saw a lot of different people. She saw cats of all ages and sizes. Most of them minded their own business, but a few casted their gaze to her. 

Nothing to see here…just a girl in the middle of a whole bunch of men…

Okay, maybe she didn’t think this through. She was blinded by anger, and she’ll admit that. It was stupid of her to decide to come out here- as a woman, and as a human. 

She spun around as these thoughts crossed her mind, but this way looked a lot like…

Spinning around again, she looked between the two directions. 

They looked the same. They were both long and narrow, both had people pouring in and out, and both had no significant land-marks to tell her which way she came from. 

“Shit…”

She had no choice but to gamble. It’s a fifty-fifty chance. If she goes forward, she takes the chance of running into the Library and getting her bearings once more, but if she goes back and ends up someplace unfamiliar, she’s screwed. 

In the end, she chose to go forward. If she was going the wrong way, she’d be going farther from the Inn, but she would come across the Library. At least if she finds the Library, she’ll be at her destination. 

She’ll probably wait for Rai to ‘fetch’ her too. It’d be safer than tackling the streets again. 

Kimberly looked up from the ground, her eyes suddenly catching a distant figure. 

He looked like he was…human. He had no cat ears, nor did he have a tail. He was just standing beside an alley way, smiling at her. 

Wait, another human was in this place?!

Her mouth opened in shock, and the figure started to go down the alleyway. 

She chased after him, accidently pushing and tripping over people. 

“Excuse me, move,” she whispered, sidestepping cat after cat. 

Once standing at the foot of the alley, she tried to see where the person went. The whole place smelled unpleasant, but that was the least of her worries. She needed to find this person. 

Eventually, she saw him leisurely walking, taking his time and observing his surroundings. 

“Hey, you!” 

When addressed, he turned to face her. He flashed a white grin, and stepped in her direction. “Do I know you?” 

His voice was deep, but also a bit on the husky side. It was hard to describe. In one word, she could say it was attractive.

“No, we’ve never met,” she answered. That didn’t sound quite right, so she decided to add a question, “Are you human?” 

“Who wants to know?” 

She pulled her hood down, and grinned. 

“I do, because if you are, I have a lot of questions.” 

The man crossed his arms in a casual manner. Though he knew she was human, he didn’t seem fazed. He didn’t really have much of an expression.

“No, I’m not human. I just look human.”

Her smile dropped.

That’s discouraging. She was hoping that he was human. 

So if he wasn’t human or a devil, what was he? Could he be a new species? Or maybe he is lying. 

“Well…this is awkward. You’re certainly not a cat.” 

“Does it matter?” He stared into her eyes with light blue ones. They were a gentle blue, almost icy.

Jeeze, they kind of reminded her of Rai’s eye. No, do away with the ‘kind of’ talk. They did look like Rai’s eye. It was a spitting image. 

“Uh…I don’t know, you tell me.”

He started to slowly approach her, his eyes never leaving hers. The longer he stared, the longer she was drawn to them. No, the longer she stared the more she started to drift off. 

Wow, what the hell is happening? 

“You have such pretty eyes,” he complimented, “I’ve never seen anything like them before.” He reached out, unexpectedly taking her by the waist. He brought her closer to his body, his smile growing. “What do you think about mine?” 

Her cheeks were dusted pink. She couldn’t help it, even if she knew this was wrong. 

They were too close for comfort. This bitch was trying to put the moves on her!

“They remind me of someone else’s,” she truthfully responded. Her head bobbed down to see his grip tighten ever-so slightly. It wasn’t unbearably tight, but if she were to resist him, he could easily bring her down.

Something was wrong here. There’s no way a stranger would do this without a hidden intention. 

“Why are you looking away? Don’t you want to get a closer look?” 

Her eyes shot up to meet his again, but this time they were more intense. They were all she could focus on…until they turned a different color.   
Brown. His eyes flashed brown, before turning back to they’re previous color. 

Kimberly took this opportunity to rake over his appearance: shoulder-length purple hair, striking eyes, flawless skin…yeah, definitely a devil. 

So why was he doing this? Did he want to catch her off guard? Or is this what he does? 

Okay, she’ll play into his fantasy. But she will be damned if she allows anything to happen. 

Kimberly placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled like an idiot. Her other arm acted like an enticement, her fingers gently caressing his left biceps.

“Do you have a name, or are you going to leave me hanging stranger?” She batted her eyelashes, waiting patiently for his response

Oh yeah. Two can play this game. 

As a chuckle escaped his mouth, he started to lean in. 

“My name doesn’t matter.” 

Just as he was centimeters away from her lips, Kimberly brought her knee to his groin. 

He wheezed reflexively, a groan coming from his mouth. 

His hands loosened, allowing her so slip away without difficulties. 

“That’s what you get for being a man-whore.” 

He tried to straighten his posture, taking deep breaths. He was in pain. 

“Still won’t surrender? Fine. Let me introduce you to Captain Insaneo.”

With her pointer and middle finger, she poked him in the eyes. 

It was probably the queerest thing she’s ever done, but it worked. It worked well. 

His hand went to cover his eyes, his body stumbling back out of shock. 

“What the fuck was that for?!” He let his head fall back, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Captain Insaneo shows no mercy.” 

Then she turned herself around to run away. She didn’t get too far, as a brick wall unexpectedly blocked the alley exit. 

“Wha…?”

“Kitty, right?” 

She turned to face him when hearing her name.

The devil was trying to fix his hair, while attempting to compose himself. Now he looked radically different. 

He had two black horns sprouting from his head, both even in length and size. They were about 4 inches, pointing straight up. 

His clothes had changed as well. Instead of wearing a white shirt with brown pants, he was topless, and wore leather pants. The only thing covering his arms was his black trench-coat, which reached his knees. 

A long thin tail came from under the coat. It resembled Razel’s tail, only it was more kempt. 

He still had the same hair, color and all. Only now it was laid out neater. 

“Let me guess…you are the Devil of Playboys? No, that’s not it… How about the Devil of Assholes? I’m willing to bet I guessed right on that last one~!”

“My name is Cassius, and I rule over vanity.”

Close enough. 

Pointing at the wall, she gave him a smile. 

“You’re work? That’s good, really good… Would you mind taking it down for me?” 

He chuckled, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. 

“I’d rather not.” He gestured to his eyes. “For that Captain Insaneo joke, I would give you a10 out of 10. But you hurt my beautiful eyes…”

Now his title is beginning to make sense now. He probably had more love for himself than for life.

“Hey man, you brought that upon yourself. Any women would have acted that way.” 

“No, they wouldn’t have. You see, females find my eyes very…handsome. The longer you look, the farther you fall under the spell. It’s strange how you are the only exception.”

So he and his buddies didn’t know that she was technically dead? 

“That’s probably because I don’t have a pulse,” she sighed, “Ask the freaky shaman. He’s better at explaining this kind of stuff.” 

Shaking her head, she realized she was going off topic. Focus, Kimberly. You are in front of a devil, which most likely wishes to kill you. 

“Alright, enough prancing around. Point is; you can’t have my soul or whatever- so it’s best if you just go and spread the word to your pals.” 

In a blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her. A confident expression was on his face, along with an impish smile. 

“I don’t believe you’re in any position to make commands. Besides, I didn’t come here to kill you. In fact, we all don’t want to kill you. But you were right about one thing. We are very hungry.” 

‘Oh, so eating me isn’t killing me,’ she thought scornfully. ‘These guys are mental.’ 

Pushing him farther away from her, she deadpanned. 

“Then go find someone else to feed off of. I’m taken by four devils as it is. I don’t need you and your friends following me around too.” 

The color and confidence left his face. He stared at her blankly for a moment, before suddenly gripping her hand.

“Come with me. If you come willingly, I may be able to convince the others to spare your life.”

Vanity boy has a change of heart out of the blue? Does he know who she is talking about? If so, why would he act like this? 

Ripping her hand out of his, her eyebrows furrowed. 

“No! I’m not going anywhere with you or any other shady bastard.” 

Cassius lifted her chin, forcing her to look at his hard, and maybe worry-filled, face. 

He wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t calm. He was desperate, but not distraught. Overall, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

“You won’t go with me, but you will stay with the most dangerous group of devils known to man? Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you stay with them, death is certain. At least if you come with me, you will have a chance at life.” 

She harshly stomped on his toe, and took the opportunity to get away from him. 

“I may not know them personally, but they’re more trustworthy than you!”

His head slowly turned towards her, his eyes dark crimson.

“My patience with you has reached its peak. If you will not come willingly, have it your way.” 

Kimberly drew her dagger, her eyes narrowing at her opponent. 

Cassius’ tail swung back and forth, his intimidating form suddenly shifting. He paused for a while, his eyebrows knitting together. 

It was then that her rescuer, Rai, fell from the roof top above. He stood inches away from his opponent, a menacing cat-like growl rising out of his throat. 

Before the cat knew it, he was engaged in a fight. It was no ordinary fight, either. This seemed to be a fight that wouldn’t end without bloodshed. 

With Rai’s sword swinging, Cassius dodged his attacks. Eventually, he got the chance to trip Rai with his long whip-like tail. 

The white cat fell to the ground, but was still going to fight. 

Rule 1: If you fall, you die.

Rushing into the scene, Kimberly let out a battle cry. She swung her dagger, stabbing the devil in the right shoulder. 

It spun around, his hand crossing Kimberly’s face. She flew into a brick wall on contact, knocked out. 

By the time Cassius looked back at Rai, he was no longer there. In fact, Kitty was no longer their either. 

They had both fled like the wind.


	11. Chapter 10

In the end, they never went to the Library. After what had happened, they felt as if their night was plenty adventurous. 

So, Kimberly told the story to everyone who listened; AKA, everyone period. Asato was on edge for most of the story, but everyone else just looked captivated with the tale. 

“Then boom, we’re back here like nothing ever happened,” she finished. “Rai was amazing like always.” She made a sarcastic clicking noise, and looking at him with a funny gaze.

“Tch, it didn’t happen quite like that,” Rai said. 

“Oh,” she challenged. “Which parts did I exaggerate?” 

“For one, I don’t believe there were…ninjas.”

Giving a side-smile, she lifted her finger, “Uh, I said I was kidding with that. Try again.” 

“Nobody flew like ‘Peter Pan’.” 

“It felt like you were flying! How far did you jump? Give us your rough estimation, please.” 

“10 feet.” 

“Close enough!” 

She sipped water from her cup, and sat it back on the table. 

“Point is; we’re safe and sound. That’s why we were late for dinner.” 

“Actually, safe and sound may be an overstatement,” Froud piped up. 

He and the devils had been silent until now. Though they listened to the story, they didn’t comment or show much emotion. They just mulled it over in their heads quietly. 

“If someone tried to pick ya up, then they aren’t going to wait for you to sleep alone anymore,” Verg explained, “They’re growing impatient, which means that next time, they’re going to attack as a group.”

Great…fantastic. Stupendous! Not only does she have more devils on her back, but they have no clue where their monuments are.

The sound of screaming made everyone present turn heads. Someone entered the Inn, gasping and sounding rather distraught.

“Bardo,” a stranger yelled. 

“I’m here, Gen!” He stood up, and walked to the doorway. 

An unfamiliar cat stepped closer to him, still panting heavily. He placed his hands on Bardo’s shoulders, his face shot with panic. 

“The Void…it’s back!” 

Everyone’s heart dropped when hearing the news. 

“What are you saying,” Kimberly hissed. “The Void can’t be back, Leaks is dead! D-E-D, dead!” Though she purposely misspelled ‘dead’ she was quite serious. 

She was probably as serious as she’s ever been. 

“He is dead…right, Konoe?” She turned to the cat- whom soon had all eyes on him. 

His ears were drooped, and his crooked tail was rested in his lap. From the expression on Konoe’s face, he was guilty for some reason. 

“I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t.” 

Gen was still quite hyper. But Bardo managed to calm him down enough so he can explain what happened. 

Apparently, a villager of Ransen was traveling the outskirts of the city, and he fell into a ‘sharp plant’. Half of his face was gone, including an eye. When the villager was found, word got out. Panic set into the city, and everyone fled the streets. The Void was back, which meant only one thing. 

Leaks couldn’t be dead. 

“I have to have a chat with my friend. All of you stay here.” Kimberly stood up, and stormed out of the Inn. 

Like Gen said, the streets were bare. Not a single soul was outside. 

Or, a single visible soul. 

“Firi!” 

The boy appeared before her. No tricks, no gimmicks. Unlike all the other times he came when she called, he wasn’t smiling or playing around. 

“I heard that the Void has returned.” 

Kitty nodded. “I need you to tell me the truth. It’s very important, do you understand Firi?” 

He gave a single nod. 

“Can you sense Leaks at all? Do you have the slightest indication of where he may be, or if he’s on his way to Ransen?” 

The bleach blonde looked down with a sigh. 

“I haven’t the power to sense Master Leaks of late. I haven’t the power to sense anybody of late, in fact. But if the Void is spreading to Ransen, then he may already be in the city.” 

The battle at the end of the anime must have taken a toll on Firi. If he could hardly teleport without any trouble, imagine how hard it would be to fight. If she remembers correctly, it was said that half of his body was gone. Since he’s in one piece now, he must be saving his magical energy to heal himself.

“Can you try? This is the only favor I’ll ask of you, I promise. It’s really important.” 

He gave her a gentle smile, and closed his eyes. A faint red aura appeared around him, the aura eventually turning brighter. 

“He’s close. It’s almost like…” 

His eyes snapped open, his eyes going past Kimberly to stare at what was behind her. 

What was he looking at? 

…

Slowly turning her head, her eyes landed on a familiar character. 

“Oh…my…God.”

Before he could step forward, she drew her dagger. 

“Stay there. If you move, I’ll scream, I swear!” 

Leaks held his hands up, showing that he didn’t have a weapon on him.

“Be at ease. I have come as an ally.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(O)0(O) Betcha you didn't see that coming.

<3 Cat


	12. Chapter 11

He what now?! This was Leaks, correct? He was the evil pretentious prick that almost obliterated the world, right? 

“You are Leaks, right?” 

“Yes.” 

“And you…expect me to believe…that you are an ally? Where are the cameras hidden? Let me guess, this is some kind of joke to throw me off guard. Am I right?”

His expression didn’t change. It was still hallow.

“Not in the least. Please, take me to the others.” 

She stared at him for a moment or two, before glancing back at Firi. He seemed happier, he was even smiling. 

So if he trusts Leaks, there’s no reason why she can’t…this time. 

“Follow me, Rapunzel.” 

Ignoring the odd look he gave her, Kimberly entered the Inn. She slowly approached the room, which everyone was gathered, and sighed loudly. 

“We have a visitor.” 

Stepping aside, she allowed Leaks in the waiting room. The very sight of his being made everyone stiffen. 

The devils in particular were uncomfortable with his presents, but the cats weren’t too far behind them. 

“Bastard,” Verg spat, “He has the balls to show his face to us…” 

“What are you doing here,” Konoe interrogated. 

His twin looked at him with a smile. 

“It’s been a long time, Konoe.”

“I said; what are you doing here?!”

“Relax,” Leaks’ eyes scanned the room. “All of you. I present myself as an ally.”

The devils exchanged looks. 

“Why the fuck should we believe anything that comes out of your filthy mouth,” Verg bellowed. 

Flipping her cup over, a large bang echoed throughout the room. 

She’s always wanted to do that…

Clearing her throat, she crossed her legs. 

“Leaks may have been an enemy in the past, but I feel as if he has a perfectly good reason for doing this. Think about it. Why would he come to us if he knew that we wouldn’t believe anything he says? It makes no sense. Besides, if he had his powers, he would have used them by now.” 

“The Void-,”

“Is not my fault,” Leaks cut in. He glared at Rai briefly, before taking his spot in a lone corner of the room. 

If you think about it, Leaks was actually under their command. If he twitches wrong, says something weird, they can easily kill him. So really, they have nothing to worry about right now. 

Having Leaks on a chain can have some benefits. But it can also have some downsides as well. Kimberly is here to figure out what is what.

“How is the Void not your fault,” Kaltz asked. “Everything is your fault.” 

So judgmental… Kitty has never seen this side of him before. I suppose this is the ‘don’t fuck with me’ side of him that he doesn’t show so often. 

“True, the Void swept in by my presents. But it comes in small numbers. If I were to purposely spread these lands with the Void, I wouldn’t leave no stone unturned.” He paused to sigh. “This is why I am here. My dark energy is building up inside of me. I no longer thirst for power, and instead wish to make amends with those I have done wrong. In simpler terms, I want to retire.” 

“In other words,” Razel mocked, “You’re useless.” 

“Not quite.” He shot the devil a sharp glance. “I have been practicing White Magic. It’s a tricky thing, especially for one who was born for the darkness, but I have found a way around that milestone.” 

Froud, who has been exceptionally quiet all through this conversation, placed a hand to his face. 

“A Dark Wizard using White Magic…nothing can be more dangerous. You realize if you overdo it, you may- how do I put this- die?” A small chuckle escaped his lips, and the other devils suddenly had smiles on their faces. 

“So why come to us?” Asato sounded assertive, no longer gentle or juvenile. This must be because he once thought of Leaks as an enemy.

He was taught that an enemy must be destroyed. So having this post-opponent here, standing before him as an ally, has to be difficult. In order to not lash out at him and take out the trash, Asato must be struggling to keep calm. 

“In order to fend the darkness that lurks within me, I must stay ‘pure’. Doing so is easier said than done. I must stay with Konoe, the other half of myself.”

So basically, he’s here because he has to. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare take the gamble of coming here. 

“Then let’s get something out in the open,” Kimberly began. All eyes turned to her. “You stay with Konoe, no funny business, and definitely no going anywhere alone. You won’t be allowed to consort with anybody outside of this circle,” she gestured to everyone in the room, “Including Firi. You’ve done enough damage to that boy as it is. He doesn’t need you being a constant reminder of your betrayal. Understood?” 

…

“Yes.” 

“Good. Court is adjured.” She stood up, and flipped her cup so it would sit properly. Then, she dusted her hands, before exiting the room.


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: WARNING. Strong sexual content that is inappropriate for people under the age of 15 (at least). None of the information in this chapter is pertinent information, concerning to the actual plot. If you are underage or don’t like Lemons, please skip to Chapter 12. Viewer discretion is advised…you’ve been warned.

So, a lot has happened today. She met the third rivaling devil, even got his name, Leaks dropped in to say hello, she had her first speech, and on top of that, she practically saved Rai’s life. She felt like a boss! 

As she slipped into her pajamas, a soft humming sound droned from her throat. 

My lover's got humor,

She's the giggle at a funeral,

Knows everybody's disapproval,

I should've worshipped her sooner.

She began to bob her head, the humming becoming louder.

If the Heavens ever did speak,

She is the last true mouthpiece.

Every Sunday's getting more bleak,

A fresh poison each week.

Now she was gently swaying her hips, making hula-hoop circles every now and again.

'We were born sick,' you heard them say it.

My church offers no absolutes,

She tells me 'worship in the bedroom',

The only heaven I'll be sent to,

Is when I'm alone with you.

She closed her eyes, allowing the music to take her to different places.

I was born sick, but I love it,

Command me to be well.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

“Take me to church, I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies. I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife. Offer me that deathless death. Good God, let me give you my life. Take me to church!” As she slowly spun around with her hands in the air, a tall white figure caught her eye. 

Rai was standing in the doorway. 

“Oh God!” 

She turned away immediately, remembering that she was only in a shirt. She was also wearing underwear, but nothing other than that. No bra, no pants; just a baggy shirt and a pair of thin panties. 

“I thought you were out or still downstairs!” 

…

“Hello? Are you even listening?”

She took a peek to look at Rai. He didn’t look so good. His face was paler than a stick of white chalk, and his eyes were dilated. Sweat collected on his forehead, suddenly swallowing hard. 

“Uh…Rai? Are you alright?” 

Something was wrong. He was quiet, and looked almost sick. 

She walked over to him out of worry, no longer worried about being modest. She gently pinched one of his ears.

It was hot… It…it was hot! He was running a fever!

“Rai, you’re sick! Why didn’t you say something before?” 

“I’m not sick.” 

“But you have a fever! You look like death warmed over- or the Juggernaut had a fist fight with the Incredible Hulk, and you were caught in the middle of it.”

“It’s normal.” 

Shaking her head and placing her hands to her temples, she began to panic. 

“What do you mean it’s normal?!”

…

Oh…dear…GOD. Don’t tell her. Say it isn’t so! 

She squinted her eyes slightly, “Are you in heat?” 

“Yes.” 

Bingo, Yahtzee, Survey says: *bing* IN HEAT! What an amazing game, ladies and gentlemen. This was certainly a sight to see!

“Okay, first of all; sit down before you collapse.”

He did as she asked. 

While pacing around the room, she thought to herself.

What could cure his symptoms without…doing the dirty deed? Water will definitely help with the nausea. And she has two Advil in her pocket. It’s like an emergency thingamajig. It’s best not to get into it right now. 

“You stay here, and I’ll get you some water.”

Before she could leave, she felt Rai take ahold of her arm. 

“What? Do you need help getting in bed or something?” 

“Water isn’t what I need.”

‘Well, I don’t know what to tell you then.’

But instead of saying this, she chose to ask a question. She knew the answer to the question, but it would be embarrassing to tell him that. How do you tell a male cat that you know he has to feel…release, in order to be free of his symptoms?

“…What do you need?” 

Rai pulled her towards him, making her nearly fall forward. Just before she lost her balance, their lips met in a gentle lock. 

What should she do?! She didn’t know how to react when it came to this! Should…should she kiss him back? She wanted to… The question is: does she have the courage? 

Kimberly pressed against his lips, inexperienced but still semi-confident in herself. And Rai returned her affection with something wet. 

A coarse tongue made its way out of his mouth, at first going over her bottom lip tenderly. Then, it slid past her lips, and gradually tangled with her own tongue. It didn’t hurt. In fact, his tongue was softer than she thought it would be. She fully expected it to be prickly, like sandpaper. But in the end, it could be softer than hers.

Rai laid Kitty down on the bed- her bed- and climbed on top of her. They were still kissing deeply, a silent message of telling one another that they cared deeply for each other. 

Eventually, his lips lowered to her jawline. His fangs nibbled here and there, eventually making their way to her ear. 

Rai’s hands made their way down to her hips, his fingers gingerly brushing against her soft skin. 

A soft moan escaped Kimberly’s lips, and a chuckle escaped his. 

“So easy to please,” he panted in her ear.

It gave her goosebumps; the pleasurable ones. His voice alone was enough to arouse her- to trigger thoughts in her mind that girls aren’t supposed to have. His touch was exciting, if not a little eager. But who was she to judge? He’s the one that was in heat. 

The male cat stopped what he was doing to undress himself. First went his thin layer of armor. Then, he tossed his shirt to a side, leaving him in nothing but his pants. Before they had gotten this far, he took his boots off at the end of the bed. 

Good thing too. She likes a man who can think ahead. 

Rai’s mouth traveled down her upper chest, his soft damp lips placing pecks along her collarbone. Sooner than later, he was trying to get Kimberly’s shirt off her body. 

Fed up with the fabric, he tore through the cotton. 

For a moment, he stopped to look. This was probably his first time, or one of his first times, with a woman. He wouldn’t be too familiar with the female anatomy, or so she believed. Her thoughts were turned against her, when his left hand rested against one of her breasts. 

‘Oh…so he does know what he is doing?’

Yes, it came as a shock. 

Why? More than half of the female population is either hookers, or feminists that would rather live life independently, rather than with a partner. And although he knew how to get into the brothels in the videogame, it was never stated if he had an affair with anyone there. His business was strictly business; information brokers. 

Rai’s attention turned to Kitty’s bear stomach. His long hair tickled her chest, as he moved down to caress her sides.

“I suppose after this, I can no longer say your weight is to blame for your lack of endurance.”

“Damn straight,” she giggled. “I told you I wasn’t overweight.” 

His lips met with her lower abdomen, a hum coming from his mouth. 

“No more talk. Just feel…” Rai’s voice was huskier than usual, the tone easy on the ears. 

As soon as she heard it, her worries were obviated.  
Reaching her legs, the cat parted them. He was less than overwhelmed to see he had no access to her ‘lower half’. So he quickly changed that, getting rid of her underwear. 

Finally, he slid his pants off.

Now they were ready to take this a step farther. And Kitty has never been so scared in her entire life. 

Sure, she knew that Rai would never harm her. He was her best friend and crush. But she’s never gone this far before. 

She’s had a few boyfriends in the past. However, they never completely undressed themselves. They would take off their shirts, maybe their pants, and they would have a heavy make-out session.

But this…Rai intended on going all the way. In this case, he had to or his symptoms will only get worse. 

“Stay still and breathe,” he instructed. “It won’t hurt if I do it right.”

He could tell that this was her first time? She knew he was perceptive, but she thought she was doing a good job of hiding her anxiety. Well, the joke was on her then!

Rai slowly entered, making a breathless gasp come from his partner. 

It didn’t hurt, he was right about that. But it was uncomfortable. It felt like her tampon was too long.

“What have you been eating,” Kimberly wheezed out. 

Rai replied with a devious smirk. He gently caressed her cheek, leaning in so he could kiss her on the lips. 

“Be a good human and hold onto me?” 

“Very funny,” she droned, “But you’re the animal here, pal.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, and felt Rai wrap and arm around her protectively.

His lips rubbed against the side of her face, until they ended up beside one of her ears. “Then command me.” 

He caught her ear-lobe with his teeth, pulling it teasingly. 

The rest of their time was filled with moans and ecstasy, as both wouldn’t trade this night for anything. If you were to offer the world, they would decline in an instant. If you were to offer eternal life, they would believe it to be useless. A life without one another would be torture- even an eternal one. 

They only wanted each other, held sweetly in an embrace…forever.


	14. Chapter 13

They lay in bed, both nude but shameless. Hell, they just had sex. There was no need to be shy around one another anymore. I’d be like flagging down a bull with a red cape, and standing still as it charged. 

Pointless. 

“Are you still up, Rai?” 

She only heard his deep hum. 

“I don’t want you to cook up some ridiculous fantasy that I just did this for you and nothing else. I want you to know that I liked it. And that I like you…a lot.”

She heard nothing in reply, though she did feel Rai begin to groom her hair. A soft purr emanated from his throat, vibrating against her back. 

“What time is it?” 

“Almost 3 in the morning.” 

They’ve been at this all night long? She thought it was for only an hour or so. Jesus Christ…

“Can I sleep in?” 

“No. Stay up with me.” 

His tail wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. The fur warmed her like a wool blanket. 

“Fine, but you have to make my pizza tomorrow.”

“Seems fair.” 

His grooming lowered to the ends of her hair, making sure to get every strand possible. 

He was going to be at this for a while. Her hazelnut brown hair reaches the base of her ass. If his grooming won’t keep her awake, then his loud-ass purring will do the trick. 

“Are you having fun there?” 

“The time of my life.”

So he could be sarcastic… Heh…

The more you know. 

~

Later that day, Kimberly went downstairs to train with Konoe. Rai gave her permission when he woke, but told her to avoid Leaks at all costs. She knew the reason why he said such a thing, but at the moment, it was irrelevant. 

Although he normally doesn’t trust anyone, he should be able to have a little faith in Leaks. After all, not only is he nearly powerless, but he’s on their side. That said, everyone should keep a close eye on him, but not supervise him 24/7.

Konoe beat Kitty for the fourth time in a half hour. He moved his blade away from her throat, giving her an odd glance. 

“You seem distracted today. Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine,” she answered. The girl sighed and got in her stance again. 

What happened last night could be the reason why she was fighting so poorly. 

In anime in general, characters (male and female) usually say that their body aches after ‘doing the dirty deed’. Yet here she is. Her body didn’t throb much, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel any soreness. 

The pain must be enough to throw her off guard. 

In the middle of the next fight, Kimberly stopped them. She held her head for a moment, before putting her blade away. 

“I’m just not feeling it,” she said. “Maybe I need a break.” 

Leaks glanced over from where he was sitting. Originally, he was meditating (claiming that meditation helps him relax. In the kind of environment he’s in, it’s astonishing that anything is relaxing to him). But now he looked intrigued. It was as if he had something to say, but wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to say it. 

“Fighting isn’t your forte, is it?” 

Kimberly glared at the Konoe look-alike. 

“What’s it to you?”

“Be still, I meant no offense. I was merely going to purpose an alternative.” 

Konoe and Kitty exchanged glances. 

Rai told her to stay away from this guy. Should she really engage in small-talk? 

Well, Rai is a paranoid son of a bitch. Hell, if a tree branch blew the wrong way, he’d cut the entire tree down without a second thought. He had this ‘I don’t take chances’ attitude. He even had that mentality when first meeting Kimberly. But things changed and they grew on each other.

Now look at where their relationship lies. They’re everything but boyfriend and girlfriend!

Wait…wouldn’t that be backwards? Shouldn’t they be nothing but boyfriend and girlfriend?

“What are you talking about,” Konoe spat. 

“I have been practicing White Magic for quite some time now. Although I may not be able to use the more powerful spells, she is adequately capable. With a little practice, she may have enough skill to be a Mage.” 

What is he saying? She’s a Sanga- not a dabbling Wiccan. She can’t honestly be both, can she?

“I might have taken you up on that offer, if I wasn’t already a Sanga.” 

“That bears no significance,” Leaks immediately replied. 

…

“I can’t be both.”

He gave her a soft smile. It wasn’t kind or cold. It was indifferent. “Says who? Laws? Your comrades?” His smile extended, a chuckle vibrating out of his throat. “Rai?”

This guy may be on the good side, but he’s still a sharp bastard. He knew exactly what to say in order to get her fired up. He knew which buttons to press for her to cave in. And she fell for it, hard.

“If you’re trying to say that Rai makes all of my decisions for me, you’re dead wrong! I may not be a skilled fighter, but I can hold my own and make my own choices!”

Leaks’ eyelids fell, a short thoughtful hum escaping his lips. 

“Then prove it. Sit by me and close your eyes.” 

Konoe shook his head at Kitty, whom was quite conflicted. His eyes held a knowing glint, his irises reflecting the image of her like a mirror. 

Agree- Go to Chapter 14 (this is split into two parts!)

Disagree- Go to Chapter 15 (this is split up into two parts!)


	15. Chapter 14 Agree Part 1

She could be making the worse decision of her life. But Leaks was right. She sucked at fighting. She was the worst fighter in the group! So maybe she was meant to use magic instead.

Konoe’s ears drooped as Kimberly sat next to Leaks. He watched the two for a moment, as they meditated, and eventually joined them out of curiosity. It was either out of curiosity, or the fact that he had to remain around his other half. 

“What do you see,” Leaks asked. 

“The back of my head.” 

“No. Search through the darkness. Find something that can lead you down to your core.”

Oh, so she was basically looking for a guide of sorts. 

She searched for a while, until she could see something. The walls of her mind were chipping away, revealing moonlight. The sealing resembled the night’s sky, creating the illusion that you get if you were staring down a dim thin hallway. It looked never-ending. The more she looked up, the dizzier she got. 

Kitty looked around her, trying to make out where she was. She was at a fork in the road. One path led into complete and utter darkness, and the other was a continual path. 

A foot away from her, floating until it reached eye-level, was a bright blue light. It couldn’t be any bigger than her two palms put together. 

The light itself resembled the sun, yet when she looked at it; it was easy on the eyes. It was like looking at a dim flash-light. 

“Am I supposed to see a fork in the road, and a bright…thing in front of me,” she asked. 

Her voice echoed throughout her head. When the short-lived reverberation ended, she heard the sound of Leaks’ voice.

“It is different for everyone. Tell me what you see down each path.” 

“Uh…the one on my left looks normal, but the one on my right is pitch-black.”

“Go down the right path.” 

…

She’s no genus, but wasn’t she supposed to avoid the dark?

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Why do you think your guide is so bright?” 

‘Oh…well, that makes sense I suppose.’

But something still didn’t seem right. What if she went in the other direction? What would happen to her then? 

Shrugging, she began to walk forward. The ball of light beside her followed, illuminating the way as she walked down the dark road. 

“Follow the spooky road~ follow the spooky road~ follow, follow, fallow, follow, follow the spooky road~!”

Her guide began to dim suddenly, making the girl stop walking. 

“Hey, something’s up with Sunlight over here… I think he’s burning out.”

“You’re running out of time. You need to run.”

Bitch, what did you just say?

“What do you mean I have to run?!”

“If the light goes out, you will be trapped in that part of your mind until someone can reach you. Since I cannot use that much White Magic, it isn’t certain that you will make it back at all.” 

Gasping, she started to run like Hell. 

“YOU’RE TELLING ME THIS NOW?!”

The light dimmed again. Now she can hardly see in front of her. 

Grabbing her guide while running, she shook it, hoping that the light would brighten again. It didn’t work, so she resorted to words of encouragement.

“Come on, don’t die on me now! Stay with me, you can make it buddy. We’ll make it out of here together.” 

The ground under her was starting to come loose. But in the distance, she could see a door. It was a large colorful door; kind of like the rainbow bridge in the Thor movies (was it called the Bi-Frost?). 

“I see a door!”

“Good. Go through it.”

She started to pick up the pace, but suddenly felt something under her shoes. Glancing down at the floor, Kimberly realized she was in a tar-pit. 

“Are you serious?!” She moved her legs, shifting and moving as fast as she could. While doing this, she held her guide above her head. 

The tar reached her knee-caps, so this was easier said than done. Just one wrong move can seal her fate. 

The light dimmed for the third time. Not a second after, she began to hear voices all around her. 

You can’t make it. Give up. Stay.

Stay with us. We will take care of you. We’ll take care of you real well.

Look…look at what we can do!

The scene around her changed, forming her childhood home. Her parents- her real parents- stood to a side. They were smiling down at Kimberly, whom was so shocked that she stopped moving. 

“Look at you,” her father said, “You’re all grown up, baby girl.”

Tears started to leak from her eyes. “Daddy?” 

“Look how beautiful you’ve become,” her mother swooned, “What a catch!” 

Her father pulled a lunch-box from behind his back. It was her time-capsule from childhood; the one that resembled the lunch-box she dug up a few days ago. 

The man reached inside, pulling out a long purple feather. 

“Remember this? ‘The most beautiful thing in the world’? I’d agree with you, but you’re the most beautiful thing in the world, haha!” 

Kimberly immediately stopped crying. 

What did her dad say? He would never say that! He used to tell her that it was garbage. It was the whole reason why they came up with the time-capsule! 

“This…this isn’t real.”

Her parents frowned. 

“What do you mean we aren’t real,” her mother outraged. “We’re standing right in front of you, Kitty.”

Her mother would never call her Kitty. She always called her Kimberly. 

“LIARS!”

She started to go as fast as she could, trying to reach the door. Her friend wasn’t holding up so well. He hardly held any light now, the aqua glow now looking white. 

“That’s not nice, Kitty,” her fake father scolded. “We’ll forgive you if you take our hand.”

The two followed her as she moved through the sludge. They both outstretched a hand to her, inhuman smiles on their faces.

Their teeth were rotten and sharp, the skin at the ends of their mouths tearing as the smile widened even more. 

“No! Get away from me!” 

She was at the end of the tar-pit. All she had to do was walk four steps, and open that door. Then she will be out of this living Hell.

“Tch, stupid human.”

Her hand brushed against the doorknob, but once the voice hit her ears, she stopped. Was it…no, it couldn’t be.

She turned, no longer seeing her parents. She saw Rai. 

He was without his armor and weapons, the background changed to their bedroom. Rai sat on the end of her bed, a smile on his face. 

This couldn’t be Rai. This couldn’t be HER Rai. 

“Are you leaving me?” 

The words penetrated her like a lance. 

“No,” she squeaked. 

“Then where are you going? Come to me.” He opened his arms, a smile coming to his pace. “Come, I yearn for you, Kitty. I need you here with me, against me, just like last night. You remember what we did last night, don’t you?” 

Oh God, this wasn’t happening. She wasn’t freezing up like this! She had to snap out of it. It was only a hallucination, made by her subconscious.

Rai stood up, making short strides to her.

“We don’t have to go this time. We don’t ever have to go again. We can stay with each other here…forever.” He reached up to her face, the realistic touch almost sending her into panic.

His thumb ran across her cheek, riding her of the tear that fell from her eyelash. Then, he started to slowly lean in. 

His lips brushed against her chin, continuing to her jaw. He landed a soft kiss beside her ear, and moved down to the nape of her neck.

He was…kind of like the real deal. He looked like Rai. She could feel him. She could see him breathing, and feel his breath on her face. But…

“No.” She backed away from him. “I don’t want an illusion. If I’m going to be with Rai forever…then I don’t want you. I want Rai. I want the real Rai!” She fumbled until she found the door knob.

Twisting it completely, she ran through the exit. 

“Kitty!” 

The door slammed shut, the muffled screams still ongoing.

“Don’t leave us! Stay! STAY!”

Kimberly noticed that in the mist of her running, her guide had turned back to normal. The light was brighter than before, showing the entire room. She was standing in an open space, so big that the walls of the room couldn’t be seen.

Her guide floated out of her hands, flying in front of her face. It stared at her for a moment, before a thin strand of light caressed her face. It was like saying thank you. Then, it entered her being through her stomach. 

It didn’t hurt. It actually tickled. 

When she opened her eyes, she was in reality again. Leaks stood beside her with a confident smile, while Konoe was gaping in shock. 

Kimberly’s eyes traveled down, and she realized that she looked different. Her hair was longer, no longer at the base of her ass- but reaching the back of her knee-caps. It was angelic, thin, hair that held volume of its own. Hazel hues were noticeable running all through it.

Her skin had also become paler. It was no longer peachy, but a few shades darker than a sheet of paper. It was flawless, china like, skin. 

“What the Hell did you do to me?!” With her outburst, the tree behind Leaks suddenly fell. 

“If I was you, I would keep my temper,” he taunted.

“What…did you…do?” She said these words through gridded teeth, finding it difficult to keep her cool.

“You must have pleased the god and passed the test. He has bestowed great White Magic upon you. I wouldn’t have given a human this much power, but I have no place to say such things. He must have faith in you…or he believes you need it.”

“English, do you speak it,” she hissed. “What’s going on? What’s this talk about power, faith, and gods?” 

Leaks looked more amused than ever. A chuckle rose out of his throat, as he sat back down where he was meditating.

“You didn’t think you were in your head the entire time, did you? You cannot simply learn White Magic. You must be tested by those greater than us; or even devils, for that matter. If you are found worthy, your abilities are given to you. They are a privilege- and can be taken away at any time. You should be thankful.”

She was thankful. But he said nothing about her appearance altering!

Wait a minute…he fucking new this would happen! That’s why he didn’t tell her. He knew she wouldn’t agree to it.

“You slick son of a bi-,”

“Tch, such language. I was only invested in your future.”

Why would HE be invested in HER future? What does he get out of it? Nothing. It wouldn’t surprise Kimberly if he was lying through his teeth.

“Invested in her future,” Konoe suddenly roared. “You heard how she feels about Rai! Because of you, their relationship could end!” 

‘Konoe…you’re speaking out for me,’ the girl thought. Tears gathered in her tear-ducts at the thought.

That’s right. She had to face Rai…like this. What is she going to do? It’s over! She’s in the dog-house. He’ll want nothing to do with her, all because she agreed with this nonsense!


	16. Chapter 15 Agree Part 2

She was washing her hair. It was the only thing she could do, to try and get the color out. But it wasn’t working. 

She was in the oasis with her clothes on, because Bardo stood by. He would tell her if the color was coming out or not. 

“How about now?” 

Bardo shook his head no, a carefree smile on his face. “Nothing’s changed. Maybe you should give up. It suits you well.” 

She grabbed more soap, and lathered her hair up again. 

“No way. If Rai finds out what my stupid human ass did, I’ll never hear the end of it!” 

“You shouldn’t be so concerned with what Rai thinks.”

She turned to glare at Bardo. He returned her glare with a sharp gaze.

“Why does everyone say that? I’m not concerned with what Rai thinks.”

“Of course you’re not. Just every other sentence that comes out of your mouth has something to do with him, or what he thinks.”

This is what she needs; a wise guy. Being sarcastic and funny is her job, not his. 

“You know he will be back shortly, don’t you?” 

“Thanks for the pressure.”

“No problem.” 

Kimberly held her breath, going under water to rinse her hair easier. After a good minute or so of scrubbing, she turned to look at Bardo. 

“Now?” 

“No.”

She was about to pick up the soap again, when the striped cat beat her to it. He sat it down behind him with his tail, and folded his arms across his chest.   
It was like one of those ‘daddy poses’. You know: a pose that a dad does when he’s trying to tell his kid ‘you know what you have to do’.

“Come on, gimme the soap!” 

“Money doesn’t grow on trees- and soap costs money. Telling him the truth will not only be the right thing to do, but it’s free.”

She splashed Bardo, and stomped her foot underwater. 

“I don’t wanna,” she pouted. 

“We all do things we don’t want to do.” 

As her silence continued, the water from the nearby waterfall began to poor heavier. It eventually returned back to normal, when she sighed. 

“Fine.”

“Good thing too. I heard he was back a half hour ago.” 

She shot out of the water like a bullet, her form growing in height.

“What did you say,” she asked. 

Bardo held his hands up, slowly standing and backing away. 

“Nothing at all. Rai is back, is all.” 

Rushing over to her clothes, her height returned to normal. 

Alright, she had to look dry and innocent when this goes down. With charm, skill, and a long-ass prayer to God, this should work. Should, being the operative word.

~

She paced outside of Rai’s room. She was nervous beyond nervous. She was sweating bullets. She was getting knots in her stomach. She was going over every possible way that this conversation can go down.

1\. Rai will completely flip out and kill Leaks- and maybe her if he’s psycho enough.

2\. He could be 100% okay with it, and forget that she was involved with Leaks altogether. 

3\. Worst, yet best, case scenario: he doesn’t notice at all. 

4\. He’s okay with it, but he still wants to punch Leaks’ lights out.

She’s screwed if #1 happens. #2 she can work with. Three would be kind of discouraging, but she would be alright with it anyway. #4 is the most probable scenario she can come up with. 

Turning her head, she heard a door open. Asato entered the hallway, taking notice of her new appearance almost right away. 

Before he could say anything, she rushed over to him (at speeds she didn’t even knew she possessed), and clasped a hand over his mouth.

“Ssh…it’s Kitty, but something bad happened. I have to talk to Rai, but I don’t know how to approach the situation…” 

“Mmuummffum…” 

Lifting her hand off his mouth, she heard him repeat what he had said. 

“Why are you so nervous?”

“It’s a long story. White Magic is involved. Enough said, right?” 

Asato slowly nodded.

“His reaction can’t be that bad,” Asato tried to sooth. He flashed her a pleasant grin. “Everything will be okay!” 

Aw! There’s child-Asato that everyone has come to love~! Well, everyone except Rai. 

“What do you wish to talk to me about?” 

Turning immediately, she faced Rai. She was going to scream, but Asato (like she did) clasped a hand over her mouth. When her screaming was done, he released her with a child-like expression. 

“I can explain,” she sighed. “I was training with Konoe and Leaks made this comment, so I turned around giving him a what-the-fuck face, then he started rambling about White Magic, he managed to get me to meditate, and I ended up in this sort of mental-state. After a whole lot of traumatizing shit, I got out but I didn’t look the same. I looked cross between Angelina Jo-Le and Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Leaks gave me his weird speech and after I tried to wash the color out of my hair. Bardo kept on saying it wouldn’t come out, I should own up to you, and here I am sounding like a moron.” She took a deep breath, and hunched over. 

“And?” 

“And I got some White Magic properties. No biggie.” 

Asato looked in between her and Rai, finally shifting uncomfortably. 

“I will just leave you two be.” 

He walked away wordlessly, making Kimberly’s insides scream.

He left her alone with Rai! What is he going to do? What is he going to say? Is she in for; push-ups? Oh God, not the push-ups! Her frail heart can’t take the method of torture! 

“Why?” 

“Huh?” 

“Why on Earth did you go to Leaks, to obtain White Magic?”

Hehe…funny story.

~

She spilled her guts to him. She told him how weak she didn’t want to be, and what happened in the illusion. She even told Rai about his fake-self. In the end, he just listened. He hardly said anything. He was just there for support it would seem.

“Tch, stupid human. So trivial…” 

“So, you’re not mad?” 

“Oh, don’t fret. I am livid. I’m just not mad at you.” 

He stood up, ruffling her hair. The gesture contradicted what he had said.

Going over to the bedroom door, she closed it in a hurry. 

“No, you are not going to ream them out! It’s my fault…and…um, what are you doing?” 

Rai stepped closer with an oddly wide grin. Grinning in general for him was weird, but this- this could top a grin from Froud. 

He gently reached over, caressing her cheek. After planting a small kiss on her forehead, he moved her out of the way. He was walking towards the stairs, which led to the first floor.

He was going to beat ass. 

~

So, Rai never beat them to a bloody pulp. But he did ream them out. He insulted them, insulted them again, told them how intolerable their actions and choices were, and then punched Leaks across the face. 

He claimed that ‘they were even now’. After this, he was satisfied enough to leave them alone. Needless to say, Leaks and Konoe avoided eye-contact with him at all costs.


	17. Chapter 16 Disagree Part 1

As tempting as this sounds, she disagreed. There was no way she was going to trust someone like him.

That may contradict what she’s been saying about Rai, but come on! It’s just like what Kaltz said. Everything evil, or anything that goes bad, is somehow connected right back to Leaks. As much as she wants an alternative to this damn hand-to-hand combat, she has to decline. 

“I’m already a Sanga. I don’t need more power. What I need is practice.”

“You would rather work yourself raw than allow me to help? I may not know much about humans, but I know plenty of women. They aren’t as strong as men, no matter how much they try. Perhaps you believe you need to practice. I believe that your specialty lies in the field of magic.” 

Before she could pipe up, Leaks cut her off.

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she allowed him to continue. She listened reluctantly, no matter how much anger bubbled inside of her.

“You said it yourself. You are a Sanga. Sangas themselves hold great magical properties. But what’s the use of being a Sanga if you cannot win a fight alone? I could help you change that. You can be fully independent if you truly wish it. But if you really are concerned with Rai’s approval…you might as well be a sock puppet for him to control.” 

That tore it. She can listen to his sexist comments, she can listen to how worthless she is- but she can’t listen to that blasphemy!

She attacked him. 

Konoe stepped in as soon as Leaks reacted to Kimberly’s attack, and ripped the girl away from his identical. She was kicking and growling. 

“I can eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit out something truer than that! I don’t give a damn what you were, who you are, or what you are now. Don’t think for a second that you can talk to me like that you cock-juggling thunder-cunt!”   
Finally, Konoe set her on the ground, and sat on her stomach. He pinned her limbs down, trying to get her to calm down.

“Get Kaltz and Razel, quick!” 

“After that stunt she just pulled,” Leaks sneered. He wiped the stream of blood that came from the edge of his mouth. “She has a better chance finding a grain of salt in a pile of dirt.” 

Rearing her head around, her thrashing limbs became more stressed and random. 

“FUCK YOU! Get off me Konoe! Let me at that pompous womp!” 

Konoe was almost at his wits end. He looked around him fanatically, until he decided to do something shocking. 

He ducked down, and pressed his lips to Kimberly’s. 

…

…

It was a 3 second peck at the most, but it was enough to silence her. It was enough to silence everyone. 

“Done?” Konoe’s face blushed slightly, panting from struggling against Kitty’s battering. 

“Yeah…”

“I’m going to get up now. Alright?” 

She nodded slowly, and felt the weight on her stomach disappear. Nonetheless, she stayed absolutely still. 

Konoe Bae kissed her… It was to make her stop moving, couldn’t be any longer than a few seconds, but so many emotions were put into it. It was like…like he really wanted her to calm down. Did that mean he cared about her welfare? 

As the sound of leaves crunching was heard, everyone turned to meet Rai. His eye instantly went to Kimberly. 

The cat ran over to her hastily, and placed his blade bellow her nose. When he saw she was breathing fine, he sighed. That’s when he looked up to meet Leaks.

“What did you do to her?” 

Before he could get up, before the two could get into a brawl, Kimberly’s fingers curled around Rai’s wrist. 

No matter how much she wanted Rai to kick Leaks’ ass, she had some fault. She attacked him. She allowed his words to get to her. He was only egging her on. 

“It’s my fault. I started a fight with him,” she admitted. “Can someone just take me to my room please?” 

She felt Rai pick her up gently, his vacant eye looking into her face. 

She looked alright, he thought. So what made her loose her temper like that? She isn’t a violent person in nature. She had to be pestered. She had to hear something she didn’t like… It was his fault. Not hers. 

Rai’s cold eye looked back at Leaks. His cornea penetrated the man’s face, and for a while they stared. Rai was giving him a silent warning. He was telling him, without saying a single word, back off. 

And judging by his look, Leaks received his message; loud and clear.

~

It was night time already. Rai and Kimberly shared a bed, Kitty resting on his chest as his arm wrapped securely around her. They weren’t asleep. They were trying to fall asleep. 

“You never told me what you and Leaks were fighting about,” Rai said. 

“He called me weak. He said that if a Sanga can’t fight by him or herself, alone, then they were useless. He said that I was your sock-puppet, something to control.”

She had no problems telling him the truth. She just had a problem with the whole ‘magic’ half of their conversation. Kimberly didn’t want to tell him that; not unless she has to. 

“Tch, the nerve. I don’t want to control you, Kitty. The little that I have is usually taken away from me. I want to keep you safe.”

A smile came to her face when hearing his words. His voice was like a sweet lullaby, which only plays for her. It was a lullaby that played unique notes. His notes. Her notes. 

Yes…her notes. They were Kimberly’s, and Kimberly’s alone.

“I love you Rai,” she sighed against his shirtless chest.

The white haired cat looked down at Kitty reflexively, but she was already out like a light. She was slowly breathing, the light thud of her heartbeat beating against his right ribcage, over and over again. 

“I love you, Kimberly. I love you more than life.” 

~Continue on to Chapter 16 to finish your choice~


	18. Chapter 17 Disagree Part 2

~Kimberly's Dream~

Kitty looked around her, trying to make out where she was. She was at a fork in the road. One path led into complete and utter darkness, and the other was a continual path. 

A foot away from her, floating until it reached eye-level, was a bright blue light. It couldn’t be any bigger than her two palms put together. 

The light itself resembled the sun, yet when she looked at it; it was easy on the eyes. It was like looking at a dim flash-light. 

“What is this,” she asked aloud. 

Her voice echoed throughout her head. When the short-lived reverberation ended, she heard the sound of a voice.

“This test is different for everyone. Describe what you see down each path.” 

“Uh…the one on my left looks normal, but the one on my right is pitch-black.”

Who the hell was this person? It wasn’t a demon. The voice sounded almost angelic.

“Which path will you take?” 

…

She’s no genus, but wasn’t she supposed to avoid the dark? Or is this some reverse psychology shit? 

“I’m going to the right.”

“Are you sure?”

…

“Yes.”

Maybe this bright light is supposed to guide her down this dark path. It would make sense.

But curiosity was eating her alive. What if she went in the other direction? What would happen to her then? 

Shrugging, she began to walk forward. The ball of light beside her followed, illuminating the way as she walked down the dark road. 

“Follow the spooky road~ follow the spooky road~ follow, follow, fallow, follow, follow the spooky road~!”

Her guide began to dim suddenly, making the girl stop walking. 

“Hey, something’s up with Sunlight over here… I think he’s burning out.”

“You’re running out of time. You need to run.”

Bitch, what did you just say?

“What do you mean I have to run?!”

“If the imp’s light goes out, you will be trapped in that part of your mind. It isn’t likely you will ever wake again. It is too late to turn back now. You must move forward and finish the test.”

What the fuck is this ‘test’ talk? 

“YOU’RE TELLING ME THIS NOW?!”

The light dimmed again. Now she can hardly see in front of her. 

Grabbing her guide while running, she shook it, hoping that the light would brighten again. It didn’t work, so she resorted to words of encouragement.

“Come on, don’t die on me now! Stay with me, you can make it buddy. We’ll make it out of here together.” 

The ground under her was starting to come loose. But in the distance, she could see a door. It was a large colorful door; kind of like the rainbow bridge in the Thor movies (was it called the Bi-Frost?). 

“I see a door!”

“Good. Go through it.”

She started to pick up the pace, but suddenly felt something under her shoes. Glancing down at the floor, Kimberly realized she was in a tar-pit. 

“Are you serious?!” She moved her legs, shifting and moving as fast as she could. While doing this, she held her guide above her head. 

The tar reached her knee-caps, so this was easier said than done. Just one wrong move can seal her fate. 

The light dimmed for the third time. Not a second after, she began to hear voices all around her. 

You can’t make it. Give up. Stay.

Stay with us. We will take care of you. We’ll take care of you real well.

Look…look at what we can do!

The scene around her changed, forming her childhood home. Her parents- her real parents- stood to a side. They were smiling down at Kimberly, whom was so shocked that she stopped moving. 

“Look at you,” her father said, “You’re all grown up, baby girl.”

Tears started to leak from her eyes. “Daddy?” 

“Look how beautiful you’ve become,” her mother swooned, “What a catch!” 

Her father pulled a lunch-box from behind his back. It was her time-capsule from childhood; the one that resembled the lunch-box she dug up a few days ago.   
The man reached inside, pulling out a long purple feather. 

“Remember this? ‘The most beautiful thing in the world’? I’d agree with you, but you’re the most beautiful thing in the world, haha!”

Kimberly immediately stopped crying. 

What did her dad say? He would never say that! He used to tell her that it was garbage. It was the whole reason why they came up with the time-capsule! 

“This…this isn’t real.”

Her parents frowned. 

“What do you mean we aren’t real,” her mother outraged. “We’re standing right in front of you, Kitty.”

Her mother would never call her Kitty. She always called her Kimberly. 

“LIARS!”

She started to go as fast as she could, trying to reach the door. Her friend wasn’t holding up so well. He hardly held any light now, the aqua glow now looking white. 

“That’s not nice, Kitty,” her fake father scolded. “We’ll forgive you if you take our hand.”

The two followed her as she moved through the sludge. They both outstretched a hand to her, inhuman smiles on their faces.

Their teeth were rotten and sharp, the skin at the ends of their mouths tearing as the smile widened even more. 

“No! Get away from me!” 

She was at the end of the tar-pit. All she had to do was walk four steps, and open that door. Then she will be out of this living Hell.

“Tch, stupid human.”

Her hand brushed against the doorknob, but once the voice hit her ears, she came to a halt. Was it…no, it couldn’t be.

She turned, no longer seeing her parents. She saw Rai. 

He was without his armor and weapons, the background changed to their bedroom. Rai sat on the end of her bed, his usual expression on his face. 

This couldn’t be Rai. This couldn’t be HER Rai. 

“Are you leaving me?” 

The words penetrated her like a lance. 

“No,” she squeaked. 

“Then where are you going? Come to me.” He opened his arms, a smile coming to his pace. “Come, I yearn for you, Kitty. I need you here with me, against me, just like last night. You remember what we did last night, don’t you?” 

Oh God, this wasn’t happening. She wasn’t freezing up like this! She had to snap out of it. It was only a hallucination, made by her subconscious.

Rai stood up, making short strides to her.

“We don’t have to go this time. We don’t ever have to go again. We can stay with each other here…forever.” He reached up to her face, the realistic touch almost sending her into panic.

His thumb ran across her cheek, riding her of the tear that fell from her eyelash. Then, he started to slowly lean in.

“I love you,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her chin. They continued to her jaw, a soft kiss eventually being planted beside her ear. Kimberly felt his mouth move again, this time traveling down to her collarbone. 

He was…kind of like the real deal. He looked like Rai. She could feel him. She could see him breathing, and feel his breath on her face. But…

“No.” She backed away from him. “I don’t want an illusion. If I’m going to be with Rai forever…then I don’t want you. I want Rai. I want the real Rai!” She fumbled until she found the door knob.

Twisting it completely, she ran through the exit. 

“Kitty!” 

The door slammed shut, the muffled screams still ongoing.

“Don’t leave us! Stay! STAY!”

Kimberly noticed that in the mist of her running, her guide had turned back to normal. The light was brighter than before, showing the entire room. She was standing in an open space, so big that the walls of the room couldn’t be seen.

Her guide floated out of her hands, flying in front of her face. It stared at her for a moment, before a thin strand of light caressed her face. It was like saying thank you. Then, it entered her being through her stomach. 

It didn’t hurt. It actually tickled. 

When she opened her eyes, she was in reality again. Rai was hovering over her, a concerned and shocked expression on his face.

Her forehead and chest was covered in sweat, like she had just awakened from a nightmare. 

Oh wait…she did. 

“Kitty,” his soft voice hummed. He took her hand and placed it to his lips. “If I am going to be with your forever, I wouldn’t want an illusion either. I would want the real you as well.”

She didn’t say all that shit out loud, did she?! 

Kimberly didn’t have time to process her thoughts, before she was caught in a kiss. It was a deep hungry kiss, almost sloppy. 

She wrapped her arms around Rai, and felt him begin to tug at her pajama bottoms. She assisted him when she took notice of what was happening, and ended up sliding his pants off. 

It was this moment, she saw her hair. It was not only longer, but had hazel hues running all through it. If this wasn’t weird enough, her skin was also pale, like fine china. It was smooth, flawless, and in much better condition than what it looked like before. 

Huh…this didn’t come as a surprise to her. Weirder things have happened. That’s for damn sure.


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Lemon alert! If you are underage, don’t like Lemons, or in a hurry to finish the story, you can skip to Chapter 18. I’m not very good at Lemons, so just try to…enjoy? O_o)

The two didn’t even care that Kimberly was still in her top. They weren’t in the mood to be nit-picky. All that ran through their heads was: passion, love, sex.   
Rai lay in between her legs, and covered her neck with slow steady kisses. His hands had a mind of their own, unhurriedly traveling wherever they pleased. It was as if he was desperate to touch her. It was like he was putting his heart and soul into this.   
His hard work was rewarded with Kitty’s moaning. They were soft moans, but that was because she was worried that the others in the Inn will hear her.   
“Don’t hold back,” he panted.  
Rai was now kissing her inner thighs, once in a while sucking on ‘irresistible’ places. Eventually he got to her bikini line, but that’s where Kimberly stopped him.  
“What, am I hurting you?” A flash of worry crossed his face. His worries were put to rest when she shook her head no.  
“I want to…um…do it,” she cleared her throat when seeing Rai smile.   
He nodded, and watched her sit up. She made her way over to him, and started to kiss her partner. He participated, but looked more amused than pleased.  
Then, she surprised herself by pushing him down, and getting on top of him. She sat on his hard abdomen, and continued where she left off.   
Her kisses were slower and more inexperienced, but you had to give her some credit. The last time they had sex, she lost what was left of her innocence.   
As her kisses moved down to his chest, she felt a vibration originate from Rai. He was purring, quite loudly too.   
“You’re adorable,” she giggled.   
“I’m only happy.”  
“That makes you adorable,” she mumbled against his right peck.   
She started to feel more confident, bolder if you will. So she gradually lowered her mouth to his stomach area. Her face turned bright red, as she realized how close she was to…it. 

Before she could get any farther, her more immature side made her giggle. Soon enough, these giggles turned into a roar of laughter. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” she said in between breaths. 

“Such a child…”

Rai snaked an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. He searched for a specific item of clothing, which happened to be Kimberly’s underwear. Finding the undergarment, he gradually pulled it down. When she was properly exposed, he leaned over to nibble on her earlobe. When he got bored with this, he decided to entertain himself. 

“Gah!” She jumped, feeling his tongue playfully lick the inside of her ear. “What was that for?” 

She attempted to wipe the saliva, but Rai caught her hand. He brought it around his neck, and did the same for her other arm. Next, both of his hands lowered to her hips. Tenderly lifting her upwards, he managed to somehow position himself, before slowly easing her down again. 

The penetration didn’t hurt nearly as much as she thought it would. The first time was an adventure to say the least, but the second appeared to be a walk in the park. It felt good nonetheless- for both Rai and Kimberly. 

Not wasting any time, Rai began to move. It was slow steady movements at first, but as the excitement and anticipation built up, he got impatient. Heck, she was getting a little impatient. 

Kitty held onto Rai, the thrusts he was producing giving her Hell. It was the good kind of Hell: rough, passionate, but not painful. 

She supposes he really meant it when saying ‘don’t hold back’; because he sure wasn’t. You wouldn’t really describe it as relentless. It was more like…tireless persistence. 

Kimberly and Rai’s breathing became erratic, somehow mixed in with moaning and occasional panting. She was getting the brunt of the exhaustion this time. Maybe it was the position that was doing her in. Or maybe she wasn’t used to this kind of intercourse.

Rai buried his head near Kitty’s left shoulder, his arm wrapped around her gently. He didn’t want to hurt her, but with the way things were going, neither of them were getting out of this without one scratch.

The time came where the two were at their limit. Though Rai decreased in speed, he made up for it with hard thrusts. Eventually, Kimberly was joining him, the two moving in perfect harmony. 

Every move had to count. And every move did. 

Rai began to slow down, the sound of the room lowering to a staggering mute. 

There was no doubt that everyone heard what they were doing. She had no doubt in her mind that they were either disgusted or hysteric. But she wasn’t embarrassed. Maybe now everyone will stop hitting on her.

Fat chance, but it’s good to dream. 

“Forever is a long time, Kitty,” Rai suddenly said. “But with you, there couldn’t possibly be enough hours in the multiverse to satisfy my desire for your company.” 

She panted out a chuckle. 

This was probably this way of saying ‘I love you’. You can imagine it’s hard to say things like that, when you’re a badass Niko with an eye-patch. 

“I love you too.”

Her head fell forward, landing on his upper chest with a dull thud. And there it stayed for the rest of the night.


	20. Chapter 19

Breakfast reared its ugly head. She had to go downstairs, and face everyone. By everyone, she means the devils. 

They haven’t seen her new appearance yet. She took a look in the mirror this morning. Even with bed-head, she had to admit she looked sexy. She was rocking the sleepy-look. But when she put her hair in a braid…

She feared for her life, at the thought of going downstairs; into the waiting room, full of hormonal dudes. 

Letting out a sigh, Kimberly entered the room. Mouths dropped to the floor, whistles were heard, and Rai’s tail was swinging. 

He, out of all cats, looked the most miserable. There was a dangerous edge to his misery, as his eyes reflected bloodthirst, to those who looked at her the wrong way. 

Kitty sat down across from Konoe, Rai beside her, and Bardo sitting on the other side of her.

“What happened to you,” Razel asked. 

Oh thanks, that makes her feel so much better. 

“Ah, this takes me back to 2010,” Froud sighed, “So much suicide…” 

…Okay…that one came off as a surprise.

“Do you sense that,” Kaltz abruptly commented. “It feels like…a heartbeat.” 

Silence entered the room. All at once, the devils turned to face Kimberly, eerie smiles on their faces. 

“What are you guys looking at?” She reached up to stroke her hair, “Is it that bad?” 

“The price on this one just shot through the roof,” Verg smirked, “A heartbeat, human, Sanga, and magical properties? Someone with White Magic alone is extremely valuable. Imagine the power they got their hands on her.”

“Can’t allow it,” Razel sneered. 

“The thought is disgraceful,” Kaltz agreed. 

Froud gave a chuckle.

“Those bastards are powerful enough as it is. That would inconvenience us in more ways than one.”

What were these fools talking about? She can’t have a heartbeat. She’s dead! 

Verg laughed, seeing Kimberly’s confused face.

“Let me put it this way, Kitty; those fuckers are going to come after you twice as fast. If we can sense your power, then they sure as Hell can.”

Suddenly standing up, she took a deep breath in.

“Slow down, my God! I thought that I can’t have a heartbeat because I’m dead. Are you telling me that I’m living?” 

They didn’t even answer. 

She looked around briefly, before checking her pulse. She got a heartbeat. 

“Alright, fine. Maybe it’s because of the magic or shit. But they can’t seriously sense it from wherever the fuck they are, right?” 

Again no answer. It was like saying ‘that’s a no-brainer. Think of a better question.’

“I’ll stop talking now…” She sat down, allowing her head to fall forward and land on the table. 

How soon would the enemies arrive? From the looks of it, they will be at their doorstep by the end of the day. And there was nothing they could do about it.

Rai, Bardo, and Asato, along with some volunteers, tried to find their monuments. They had no luck. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Basically, she was fucked. She was fucked, going down, and she was bringing everyone with her. 

“There is still one place you didn’t check,” Leaks piped up. 

Everyone turned heads to look at him. 

“The Library. It’s been in Ransen forever. It wouldn’t surprise me if their monuments were right underneath it.” 

That’s right. On her way to the Library, she was attacked by what’s-his-face ‘Devil of Vanity’. She or Rai never got to check it out.

“It would explain why she wanted to go to the Library so unexpectedly,” Konoe said. “I know I was drawn to the monuments when I was marked. Though she isn’t marked, I can imagine she would still be drawn to it.”

Kimberly looked at everyone, trying to figure out what they were thinking. Everyone held some different emotion. Rai was pokerfaced as usual, the devils were smiling like idiots, Konoe was looking at Kitty, and Asato remained quiet with his head pointed down. 

So this was it. They were going to check out the Library, and if they found the monuments, it would be game-on?

“When do we leave,” she asked. 

“Dusk,” Bardo suggested. 

Though it was intended to be a joke, it was decided as the time they would depart. 

No more nonsense. No more random attacks, dream invasions, or training. All of her hard work- everyone’s hard work- will have to pay off. Because once they set out for the monuments, there’s no going back.

~

Bardo was appointed to hold the fort. He didn’t like the idea. In fact, he protested many times. But when it was insisted to be the best, in case the group doesn’t make it, he finally agreed. 

The plan is: if the devils, Kitty, and the cats aren’t back in one day, lead everyone out of Ransen. Although it was an order he didn’t like receiving, he was in no position to oppose. Worst comes to worst, Bardo will be Ransen’s last hope. 

“So how come you guys aren’t trying to eat me,” Kimberly asked, “From what Verg said, I must look like a happy meal to you lot.” 

The group was walking down the road. In 20 minutes tops, they would arrive at the Library. If Kitty was going to die, she wanted to die with a clear conscious.

“We like ya too much,” Verg answered. 

“We thought about killing you once or twice, but we basically said screw it,” Froud added. 

“You’re so nice,” Kaltz complimented.

“Too funny to get rid of so easily,” Razel joined. 

Ah, they had their reasons. They were stupid-ass reasons give or take, but she was thankful nonetheless. She loved life you see. Being ‘consumed’ by devils isn’t really one of her sick fantasies that she creates during lonely nights, even if all of them were attractive.

“Even if we wanted to we couldn’t. Our deal isn’t over.” 

Oopsie. She completely forgot about the deal they struck, when they first met. They can’t try to eat her until everything is said and done. Since she’s still technically on the run, their contract remains. 

“Tch, so what do you plan on doing after this?” Rai didn’t bother looking back to face them. 

He wouldn’t give them that much attention, even if they could sing Opera backwards. 

“We can’t convert her into one of us, so we suppose we’ll have to stick around until she dies,” Froud replied. “If we can get her to like us enough by then, we may have a chance yet.” 

Is that what all the flirting was about?! They were trying to get Kimberly to ‘like’ them? That’s just…no. She can’t fathom it happening. Ever. 

“I thought something was fishy. Razel’s whole seduction thing almost got me, actually.” 

Rai turned back to shoot Kitty a look. It wasn’t a glare. It was a ‘are you serious’ glance. 

Ignoring him the best she could, Kimberly’s orbs wondered around. She finally realized how quiet the outdoors was. She didn’t really hear any crickets. She didn’t hear any animals, for that matter. It was as if the town got up and left overnight. 

People were still probably afraid of the Void, and the possibility of the sickness coming back. If she wasn’t an insane Lamento fangirl, she would be panicking along with them, really. 

Spotting Leaks, whom was towards the front of the group, she jogged to catch up with him. She pulled on his sleeve, getting his attention. 

“One question I’ve always wanted to ask: how long did it take for your hair to grow that long? Have you ever cut it?”

“That’s two questions.”

“I’m more curious about the first one, but feel free to answer both!”

He smiled down at her, reaching up to poke her nose.

Hey, she does that! Hehe, what do you know. They do have something in common after all. 

“20 years.” 

“Can I touch it…?” She slowly reached over, but Leaks avoided her hand. Despite this, he was still smiling.

“I don’t believe I’m ready to engage in such a relationship with you.” 

Deadpanning, she shook her head. “Say that again and I’ll get Rai.” 

“What do you think he’ll do? Insult me? I think he’d rather spend his time and dynamism sleeping with you, dear.” 

Kimberly smacked the back of his head.

“Pervert.” 

Konoe mimicked the action, his face reading revulsion. 

“Know your place. You’re talking to a female.”

Hell yeah, you tell ‘em, Konoe Bae! 

Just as fast as the excitement came, it was gone. They were at their destination. They were at the Library.

The building was very old and battered. If it was standing during the 2000s, graphite would be its new coat paint.

The Library was surprisingly unguarded. The guards must have gone home, or decided to quit. With the news flying around Ransen these days, it wouldn’t be surprising. 

“So how do we get in?” Once the words left her mouth, the double-door flew open. The right portion flung across the room, off the hinges. 

“Good job,” Froud chuckled, “But I don’t believe we’ll find what we’re looking for inside the Library.” 

Turning abruptly, her fists balled at her sides. “I didn’t mean to do it!” 

“Such rage,” Razel hummed. 

“Shut up,” she yelled. “You people want a way underneath the fucking Library, you got one!” 

She pressed her foot to the ground, the dirt caving in immediately. The falling dirt created an earthy path (perhaps a ramp), which led down into the dark tunnel. 

Kitty’s face calmed when the scene unfolded. Placing a hand on her hip, she blew some hair out of her face.

“I didn’t think it would actually work.” 

Razel stepped forth, a flame-lit palm outstretched away from his clothes. 

“Allow me.” 

Permission granted?


	21. Chapter 20

While walking through the tunnel, Rai gently gripped Kimberly’s hand with his tail. It could be because he didn’t want her to get lost, but in a way, Kitty believes he was scared. 

They all were scared. I mean, it worked. They were traveling underneath the Library.

“So what’s the story with the Three Musketeers?”

“There used to be only 7 of us devils,” Froud explained. “They were nicknamed The 7 Deadly Sins. But when Moses broke the 10 Commandments on the way down the mountain, the Spiritual Realm was thrown into chaos. The 7 Devils started to worry, and thought up the brilliant idea of picking a leader.”

“Four of them were murdered because of that,” Razel continued. His voice echoed, not like Froud who was standing in the middle of the group. “Now there are three left: Greed, Vanity, and Envy. They decide everything as a group. Since that happened, more devils were created to fix their catastrophe, and they were eventually forgotten by mankind.”

Yeah, that explains a lot. No sarcasm intended. 

“We knew about the 7 Deadly Sins. We didn’t know that they were devils though.”

“You humans thought you have religion all figured out. You really didn’t. Humans didn’t even skim the surface before they faced extermination.” Verg sighed. He trailed behind the group.

He was the tallest of everyone here, so if he were in the front, nobody behind him would be able to see where they were going. 

In all, Verg was insinuating: because of mankind’s insolence, her race perished. Her race was a foolish, blind, one. Therefore, that makes her foolish and blind by nature. 

That word that he used ‘extermination’ was eating her alive as well. He put it like humans were bugs. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m joyous that they did away with Lust,” Froud giggled. 

“What was wrong with him,” Asato questioned. 

“He was a promiscuous nuisance, from that I have heard,” Kaltz responded. 

“Yeah, not only was he hands-on with the victims, but he started to get real comfy with us devils,” Verg chuckled. 

“No wonder why he was the first to go.” The ends of Razel’s mouth twitched upward. 

At long last, you could see the end of the tunnel. Burning torches were here and there, in this otherwise dark room. 

Seven large rectangular stones were placed in a straight line. Four of the said stones were cracked down the center, but the others were in perfect condition. 

“This is it,” Rai questioned.

The devils gave nods. 

“So…what now?” Konoe ate his own words, as an alarming noise sounded off. 

Kimberly in particular jumped.

This ‘noise’ was a loud bang. It was followed by another identical sound, which made a gust of wind enter the room. The light from the torches blew out, leaving the party of 9 in total darkness. 

The third and final bang was the loudest of them all. The three untouched monuments began to glow different colors. 

The one in the middle of the seven stones was black. The sacred rock directly beside it (to the left) was orange, and the stone at the very end to the right was purple. All lights grew in intensity, until finally, they all flickered in unison. 

The torches were automatically turned back on, as if someone flipped a light switch. Now three figures stood in front of the monuments. 

“We are the Trinity Sins,” the black character said. 

It was a male devil with black hair, white eyes, and a tan complexion. His black horns resembled Verg’s quite a bit- bunt unlike Verg’s, they had thin white rings around them. His tail was fairly short, though well kempt. Other than these details, it looked ordinary for his species.

Although dressed so that most of his skin would be covered, he wore nothing but leather. Even his boots, fashioned to be knee-high, were leather. This made him look more like a shadow than a devil.

“You,” Kimberly whispered. She pointed a finger at him, “You weren’t invited, bitch!” 

“Oh yes, I apologize for not asking for an invitation. But one doesn’t normally consort with their meal.” He suddenly smirked. “How’s Scar-Face or Lex Luthor by the way? Give them my deepest regards, would you?” 

One of the torches flew off the wall, missing the pompous waste of space by inches. He didn’t flinch, or remove his eyes from Kitty’s for that matter. 

“Allow us to introduce ourselves before we officially start. My name is Beliar,” the black-haired man gave a mocking boy. “I rule over envy.”

“I’m Mammon. You may call me whatever you wish, as long as it is respectful. I rule over greed,” the next devil said. 

It was a man with mid-length gamboge-colored hair, fair skin, and yellow eyes with red slit irises. His horns were uneven, one being particularly shorter than the other. He had a tail, so long that it had to curl upwards, in order to avoid having it touch the ground. 

His pants were black, perhaps jeans, or something of the same material. His shirt was dark orange, with a line of golden buttons stopping half way to his chest. This left some skin showing, even with his hair thrown over his shoulders. 

He wore brown ankle-high boots that had a heel to them. Otherwise, they weren’t much to look at. If anything, they looked a little worn.

Mammon didn’t bother to bow. He just bobbed his head.

“I’m Cassius, and I rule over vanity.”

The last devil needed no introduction to Kimberly. It was the narcissistic prick that tried to put the moves on her. 

“We’ll spare you the time of introducing ourselves,” Froud chuckled. “I’m sure you know our names already. For our alliance, I’m not so certain.” 

“Tch, we would never familiarize ourselves with stupid scum like you,” Rai scoffed. 

Kitty placed a soft hand on his shoulder, and boldly took a step forward. She had her hand on her weapon, no letting her guard down.

She knew that nobody was exiting this place unharmed. If they let them go today, they’ll be back. Bloodthirst or determination was all that Kitty could read from their faces 

“I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere negotiating, so let’s get right to the point. I’m not food, to devils, or to anything else inhuman. You can try to take me by force, but you will lose in the end. If I can put up with those four, I can definitely handle three jealous devils that can’t grasp the fact that they’re not number one anymore.” 

All three shared the same bored expression. It was like they were saying ‘we’ve heard this all before, sweetheart. Now be a good girl and give your soul to us on a silver platter’. 

‘So that’s how it’s going to be. Fine, you want to be like that, bring it!’

“You do know who you are talking to, right,” Beliar was the first to crack a smile.

“Maybe it doesn’t matter,” she replied through gridded teeth. 

Her hands were clenched at her sides, and her dark green orbs looked aggressive. It was clear that she wasn’t messing around. 

Humming in thought, Beliar turned towards his companions. 

“You heard what the girl said. She’s not food. Oh wait…didn’t she also say that we could try to take her by force?” Beliar’s mocking voice subsided, black mist rising from his shoulders. 

His devil friends smiled in unison, looking through the opponents as if evaluating a game of chess. 

“Yeah, I also said you’d lose,” she said, placing her hands on her hips confidently. 

“Let’s test that theory.”

~

The enemies decided to split up a while ago, and the exit to the monuments had collapsed. 

They all fought for a while, but did nothing significant. AKA, everyone was still alive. 

Rai now had a scratch on his left cheek. He refused medical help for it. 

Asato suffered the most out of all cats. Due to his rash actions, he could have a broken wrist. Mammon twisted it fairly hard, and from the look on Asato’s face, it wasn’t in good condition. 

There was only one way out of the underground tunnels. Nobody liked the path…er, paths. 

There were multiple channels: two behind the tall stones, and two at each side of the line of rocks. To dumb it down, there were four possible ways out, and only 9 of them. The chances of getting out of this place has legitimately hit slim to none. 

“They want us to split up,” Leaks commented. 

No shit Sherlock!

“We can’t,” Rai intervened, “At least…if we do, the strongest would have to protect Kimberly.” 

Meanwhile, Kitty was looking around for any possible door. She needed to find a secret passage. Every old shitty place like this has one. It’s trying to find it that makes the task almost impossible. 

That crack in the wall looks awfully suspicious… (Chapters 20-21)  
I bet one of these torches is a lever! It’s cliché, so it must work! (Chapters 22-23)  
Slip away unnoticed. This is your mess. It is best not to get the others involved. You care about them too much. (Chapter 23)


	22. Chapter 21That Wall Part 1

Spotting a split down the wall, she ran her pointer finger along the crack. She could feel a slight breeze coming through there. Said breeze was cold, but refreshing nonetheless. 

“Hey, I think there’s something behind here,” she called. She tried to look through the crack, but couldn’t see anything. 

Verg was the first to get to her, and gently tapped her shoulder. When she moved out of the way, she was pleasantly surprised to see him bulldoze the wall down. 

Show off…

Verg wiped his hands off on the side of his coat, and took a few steps back. Kimberly, on the other hand, waved her hand in front of her face. Dust and dirt partials flew through the air, making her cough every so often. 

“You think this is the way,” Konoe asked. 

Razel took a step forward, but stopped in mid-step. 

“I believe this is new devil territory. Me, nor the other devils, can enter without permission from the person this area belongs to. Seeing how that won’t happen, this is where we must part ways.”

Let me clarify. Since this ‘territory’ belongs to one of the jackasses they are fighting, they can easily kill Froud, Kaltz, or any other unwelcomed devil they so choose. Call it violation of privacy. If a stranger walks on your lawn, and you have every right to gun them down, what would you do? Would you bring the stranger in for a warm cup of tea (a stranger that can easily be a murderer, rapist, or serial killer), or not take the chance, and shot him on sight?

It’s the same principal here, you see. 

“It’s not worth the risk,” Rai said.

“If the devils can’t pass, it could be somewhere important,” Kimberly said. “Think about it. Why else wouldn’t they be allowed?”

The white-haired cat gave her a stern look. It was another stiff fatherly glance. 

“And if you’re wrong?” 

Smiling reassuringly, she reached up to pat his head. “I’m not.” 

With this said, Kimberly headed down the dark hallway. Asato, Konoe, and Rai eventually followed.

~

When the three exited the entry, they came upon a room of mirrors. That’s it. It was a room, with larger-than-life mirrors. It almost reminded Kitty of a carnival’s Maze of Mirrors. Actually, that’s exactly what it was. It almost seemed like…

“We should stick close together. It’s easy to get lost here,” Konoe suggested. 

Kimberly took Rai’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and did the same for Asato. Konoe followed closely behind, in the back of the line, while Rai was in the front. 

The cats noticed Kitty’s silence, but didn’t take notice of her alarmed face. 

She’s been here before. She knows that she’s been here before. 

Years ago, when she was 6 years old, she and her real parents went to the city carnival. It was popular at the time, but not nearly as popular as the infamous House of Mirrors. She was supposed to be with her parents all the way through the maze, but ended up getting lost. She spent 3 hours huddled in a corner, until a police officer finally found her. Since then, she’s been petrified of mirrors. 

At night, she covers up her full-length mirror at home. During the day, if she looks into a mirror, it has to be with lights on. And with her small compact mirror, she keeps it closed unless she has to open it. 

“Kitty, your hand is shaking,” Asato commented. 

“N-no its not, I’m fine.” 

The group stopped walking, everyone turning to face Kimberly. She was holding back tears, and everyone knew it. 

“We’re leaving,” Rai announced, picking her up into his arms. 

But when the lot turned to turn back from whence they came, they saw nothing but another mirror.

Konoe banged on the glass, his lips pressed together to form a firm line. 

“Hey!” His fist began to pound harder, until the mirror finally shattered. 

But behind it was nothing but brick. There was no opening; just a solid brick wall. 

“We have to keep moving,” Asato sighed, “Maybe we’ll find a way out.”

That was optimistic thinking. But deep down inside, everyone had the same feeling. 

They weren’t getting out of here. Not without a fight. 

~

It’s been at least an hour. There has been no sign that they were going in the right direction. There was no landmark. There were just mirrors on top of mirrors. 

Opening her eyes, Kitty’s tired face looked ahead. Only, in the mirror she saw in front of her, she didn’t see Rai holding her. She saw Cassius holding her. 

Jumping immediately, she turned to the individual that held her in his arms. Thankfully, it was still Rai. 

“What?” Rai looked down at her, his face full of worry and confusion. 

“I think we’re doing something wrong… My guess is that we’re in the Devil of Vanity’s territory. With all these mirrors around, how do you think he gets from place to place?” 

For a moment, for a moment only, there was silence. 

“He walks through the mirrors,” Asato assumed. 

“Exactly,” she chirped. 

Getting out of Rai’s protective hold, she walked towards the nearest mirror. 

“Konoe tried to get through the mirror the hard way. But what if…” 

She stared at herself for a good while, before reaching out to touch the glass. Immediately, she was sucked through the mirror. 

“Kitty!” 

Spinning around, she could see her friends. They were trying to get through the mirror, but they were doing it forcefully. 

“No, rest your hand on the glass!” 

Her voice echoed, but never reached her friends. 

As she placed her hand on the mirror again, she waited. Like she thought it would, her body effortlessly slipped through.

No sooner did she get out of the mirror, she was attacked by hugs. 

“Why would you do that,” Rai scolded. “Tch, stupid human girl.”

~

Traveling through mirrors proved to be an easier method of transportation. They were actually getting somewhere. For one, they weren’t going in circles in an endless hall of mirrors. There’s only so much of that Kimberly can take. 

But when their path ended, the group of three found themselves at a dead end. They were clearly in a throne room. If the black throne, outlined in mauve gems, didn’t give it away- the atmosphere of the room did. 

The walls and floor were made of purple-tinted crystals. Therefore, no matter where you looked, you were able to see your reflection. 

In the middle of the room was a funny symbol, almost like Kaltz’s insignia. It was long and broad, covering a good portion of the room. 

Rai, Asato, and Konoe drew their weapons, when feeling a breeze enter the room from behind. They stood around Kitty, alert and aware. 

Said breeze was warm. Yet, it felt heavy. You could nearly feel the negative energy. 

When the gust of wind ended, a figure appeared, sitting on the throne. It didn’t take long for the group to recognize this person. It was Cassius, Devil of Vanity.


	23. Chapter 22 That Wall Part 2

His head was supported by his hand, and his elbow (rested on one of the throne’s arm-rests) acted like a proverbial pillar. Cassius’s brown eyes raked over his guests, an ultimate smirk appearing on his face. 

“Out of the maze already? I’m impressed.”

He stood up, walking down the crystal steps to reach the center of the room. Placing a hand on his chin, his smirk extended into a smile. 

“Will it be just the three of you? Or should I be expecting company?” 

“Expect my foot across your face, you shaft-riding stillborn twat!” Kimberly stepped forward, but Konoe grabbed her arm to hold her back. 

“Such language from a lady,” Cassius tsked, “Makes me wonder about your upbringing. Oh wait…” He smiled cruelly. 

‘Bitch, don’t you say anything about my upbringing!’

“Enough of this,” Rai hissed, “Are you going to fight, or are you going to be a coward?” 

The devil’s smile faltered. As a sigh left his mouth, the room began to shift. Cracks formed along the floor, and the walls bent to create different angles. And suddenly, the room had the illusion of being thinner and longer. 

“Don’t pay attention,” Asato hollered over the noise. “They are delusions fashioned by the damned!” 

Just as he said this, a crack split between him and the rest of the group. The more the cat tried to move, the smaller his platform became, and the bigger the opening appeared. 

Kimberly looked over to see into the gap, and was scared to find she couldn’t see the bottom. 

Konoe began to jump over the cracks and holes in the floor, each time getting closer to Cassius. But suddenly, the pointed crystals above him began to shake. And some fell. 

Kitty held her breath, seeing a crystal penetrate one of Konoe’s shoulders. The cat let out a painful cry, blood dripping from his arm. Despite the pain he was in, he managed to dodge the rest of the shards. 

“Konoe! Hold on!” Kimberly stepped forward, fallen rocks and shards decorating a path for her to stand on.

Magic usually drains the user, but in this case, it was serious. 

“Wait, Kitty!” Rai tried to reach out to her, but she was out of his reach. All he was able to do was brush the fabric of her shirt. “Kitty, come back!” 

Already half way there, she jumped to Konoe’s platform. By now, he was lying on the ground, holding his wounded shoulder. 

The crystal was in pretty deep. There was no way he was going to survive from this alone. 

“It’s sad, isn’t it,” Cassius taunted, “seeing your friends die for you.”

Placing her hands over the wound, she attempted to heal him. But Konoe stopped her. 

“N-no, you need your strength.”

Tears leaked from her eyes at the thought of what he was saying.

“No I don’t! I-I need to save-,”

His hand moved to hers, clenching it gently. Smiling up at her, she felt his grip tighten. And then his eyes began to close. 

“Konoe? Bae?”

No answer. 

“K-Konoe?!” Moving her hand to his face, she stroked his cheek.

He didn’t move or respond, so she checked his pulse. 

Her heart dropped instantly. Konoe was gone. 

Standing up, she looked at Cassius through bloodshot eyes. They were fiery, hardly tamed. 

The room began to quake without the devil’s consent. Shards fell, of course not hitting Kimberly or her friends; not even Konoe’s body. But you could tell that Kitty was furious. 

“Bastard… It’s your fault! All of this is your fault!” 

“It’s our fault,” he calmly corrected. “Without you, they wouldn’t be here now. Without me, Konoe’s life would have been prolonged.”

Shaking her head, a large crack formed along a wall. 

Just as she was falling into an uncontrollable pit of despair, she heard a voice. It was a well-known voice. It was the voice that belonged only to her.

“Kitty!” 

Looking up, she found Rai looking at her with worried eyes. Asato shared his expression, though unlike Rai, he was crying. 

“Don’t let his words get to your head. We can still do this!”

The enemy glanced between her and Kimberly, a sneer coming to his face. 

‘So this is her source of strength,’ thought he. 

Then, the raised area that Rai stood on started to shake pugnaciously. Rai acted swiftly, digging his sword into the floor, and holding on for dear life. 

Snapping out of it, Kimberly realized what was happening. But before she could move, she saw Asato spring into action. 

He jumped beside Rai throwing him onto the podium Asato once stood on. As Rai landed safely, the previous platform gave way. And Asato fell with it, accepting his fate with a single tear sliding down his cheek. 

Kitty’s mouth hung open, her eyes following the brave soul until the end. 

“What an idiot,” Cassius remarked.

That was Rai’s final straw. 

Lunging herself at the opponent, he pinned him to the ground with a blade pressed against his throat. He was breathing heavily. He couldn’t think straight. All 

He wanted to do was end his pitiful existence, right here, right now. 

This wasn’t him. This was the other side of Rai. This was…the ugly half of him. This was the half of him that Kimberly didn’t want to see.

“Go ahead,” he chuckled from below Rai. “I’ll be back. We all will; no matter how many times you kill us. Killing me will solve nothing.” 

“But it will make me feel a lot better.”

And he dug the sword across Cassius’ throat. In that instant, his body stopped moving. After a moment or two of complete silence, the devil’s skin started to chip away. 

Within seconds, nothing but purple ash was left beneath Rai. Even that disappeared with the wind.

Then, the room began to come together once more. The cracks disappeared, the floor was united, and the ceiling repaired itself. It was like nothing happened. 

Kitty walked over to Rai steadily, her hand on her dagger. 

“Rai?” 

No reply. His head only turned to look at her. 

His void expression penetrated her face. A shiver rippled down her spine.

“Rai,” she repeated. 

In return, he stood up. But he still didn’t answer. 

As he stepped closer, his hand outstretched towards her. When it landed, it landed on her right shoulder. 

“Kill me,” he ordered. 

This threw her for a loop, as her eyebrows furrowed together. 

“What?” 

“Please, kill me before I hurt you.” 

No. No way. She wasn’t going to kill him! She couldn’t. No, she won’t! 

“Rai, think about what you’re asking me to do.”

Collapsing onto his knees, she watched as he began to cry. His sobbing was hardly noticeable, but it was obvious that he was distressed. 

Kimberly kneeled down to his level, and wrapped her arms around Rai. 

“I’m not leaving you.”

His head dropped to the nape of her neck, where it rested for a while. And his sobbing died down, to the point to where he wasn’t hysterical anymore. 

Then suddenly, Kitty plunged her dagger through Rai’s abdomen.

You wouldn’t think that she had to do this. But she only had so many options.

Opening her mouth, she tried to say something. But only a stream of blood dripped from her mouth.

Rai had driven his short sword through her back, and she had driven Firi’s dagger into his stomach. 

“I’m sorry,” she wheezed.

It was either his life or hers. She couldn’t make a choice like that. So she figured; if he died, she might as well die with him.

For if they were going to love each other, it would be forever: in life, death, or in this case, both. 

 

The End: Bad Ending #1


	24. Chapter 23 That Lever Part 1

Standing on her tippy-toes, she took a hold of a torch. Kimberly allowed her body to fall, pulling the torch with her.

At first, she thought she broke it. But then she noticed something. It was still attached to the wall. 

Gears, cogs, and such moved from inside the barrier, until a pronounced click sounded off. Then, the wall began to move back, revealing a staircase. It was a thin staircase, so thin that you’d have to walk sideways in order to travel through. 

Kitty could easily fit, but most of the people in their group couldn’t. Rai, Verg, and Razel were prime examples. Their builds were too wide, and they were too tall. If they tried to go through the passage, not only would they be painfully uncomfortable, and they may even get stuck half way into the journey. 

Konoe, Kaltz, and Froud, were probably the only men that could make the trip with Kimberly. Asato was iffy, even if he didn’t have the broadest build. If he sucked in his gut, he most likely could go through. 

“I dislike the atmosphere searing from this passageway,” Kaltz said, “Its…heavy and unpleasant.”

“That’s because we’re not aloud down there,” Verg sighed. “It must be devil territory.” 

‘Devil territory? Oh yeah, they said something about that in the game.’

A few bad endings were good examples of a devil’s power within the boundaries of their ‘terrain’. It’s like the idea of animal territory. Others aren’t permitted to enter without their permission. 

“I don’t like it,” Rai announced. He was ready to turn away, when Kitty gripped his arm. 

“Something important could be hidden down there. Maybe that’s why the devils aren’t allowed inside.”

He looked into her eyes for a moment, before glancing around. Taking a bold step, he leaned down and caught her lips with his own. 

The kiss was slow and sweet, giving Kitty ‘goodbye kiss’ vibes.

Rai was worried that he wouldn’t see her again. That was cute. 

“Would you like us to step out,” Froud taunted. 

Still kissing Rai, Kimberly flipped him the bird. 

If she was leaving her boyfriend behind, she had every right to make out with him. Really, they should have been able to do this the moment they…did the deed. Something like that isn’t easily forgotten. As a matter of fact, it should have made their relationship official. 

Parting away from him, Kitty quickly pecked his lips. Giving him a smirk, she reached up to scratch the fluffy part of his ears.

“I’ll be back,” she said, mimicking Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

In return, she saw him genuinely grin. “I’ll be waiting.” 

‘You better be waiting. I don’t want you starting our forever alone.’

~

When it comes down to it, Asato and Konoe went with her. Asato was barely short enough to enter the cavern, while Konoe (being slightly shorter than Kitty) could walk with ease. 

The three were descending down the flight of stairs, hardly able to see where they were going. That is why Asato was in front of Kimberly, and Konoe was guarding her from behind. They were part cat, which meant that they could see in the dark. 

The seemingly endless flight of steps ended, revealing a large bright room. 

What illuminated said room? Treasure; lots of it. 

The walls were made of gold, the floor they walked on was made of silver, and mountains of gold littered the room, diamonds and jewelry mixed into the hoard. In the middle of the ceiling was a massive, beautiful, chandelier. Judging by their surroundings, Kimberly would say it was made of either silver or white gold. 

In the far back of the room was a throne. It was an orange-diamond-studded throne, made of solid gold. The chair itself was on an elegant black fur pelt, which Kitty assumed to be faux fur. But let’s be honest; it could have come from anything. 

Kimberly looked down, spying something familiar. It looked like a jewelry box…her jewelry box. 

Crouching down, she opened the wooden container. As the lid stretched, cobwebs and dust came off of the item. Inside, carved on the roof of the jewelry box, was her name: Kimberly Lane.

“Huh,” she whispered. 

Reaching inside, she pulled out her mother’s ring. It was a 30k diamond ring, otherwise average looking. Beside this was her father’s ring, which was a simple silver band. 

“I haven’t seen these since I was a child,” she mumbled. 

Thoughts rushed to her head. Her parents’ faces, her parents holding hands, their smiles…their touch. 

Blinking to rid herself of these thoughts, she put the rings back where she found them. Kitty stood up, shoving her hands in her pants pockets. 

She felt Konoe place a hand on her shoulder, and saw Asato give her a sympathetic look. 

The peace and silence broke with a gust of wind.

The forceful breeze shook the chandelier above, making small diamonds periodically fall off. A few light pieces of treasure blew past the group’s feet, and eventually, the gusts ceased. 

A tall orange figure formed, sitting in the nearby throne. The first thing Kimberly’s eyes landed on was the person’s hair. It was long and straight, almost silky looking. Then, her eyes traveled to a partially open- pale- chest.

Okay, it was a man.

But it wasn’t a man. She concluded this by seeing a long thin tail, which was wrapped around one of the figure’s legs. 

Now it was clear who he was. This was Mammon, Devil of Greed.

“I apologize for the abrupt arrival, as well as the wait,” he said. 

His red slit irises raked over the group, finally landing on Kimberly. The ends of Mammon’s lips looked as if they curled upward.   
Bowing his head slightly, he maintained a polite persona. 

“Miss,” he greeted.

Growls vibrated from Konoe and Asato. They apparently didn’t buy his remarkably humble attitude. To be completely truthful, neither did Kitty. 

“I don’t wish to fight any one of you. Therefore, I will propose an idea.” He paused, his eyes traveling back to the only girl in the room. “If you come with me willingly, I will spare your friends. In fact, I will send them back to the surface as soon as you agree.”

Does he think she’s stupid? If she decides to do something like that, she’s condemning herself. Besides; although Mammon looks to be a man of his word, she doesn’t trust him. She’d rather throw a mac-truck and break her arms, than trust a sleazy scum-bag like him. 

“No,” she answered. 

It was a simple decline. She remembered what he said earlier when introducing himself. 

‘You may call me whatever you want, as long as you are respectful’. I’d be stupid to call him a name, or say what she really had in mind… All I’ll say is that, it’s nothing lady-like. 

Mammon sighed before standing up. 

“As you wish.” 

The room started to radically alter. The walls seemed to close in, the treasure hoard growing in quantity. 

Mother of God…he was going to drown them. 

Konoe and Asato drew swords, but Asato was the one to attack first. He charged at the devil, but the enemy couldn’t be any less fazed. 

Mammon’s hand lit up a strange orange color, and before anyone could anticipate the next action, a beam pierced Asato through the chest. 

Time slowed down, as the cat was thrown back on impact. He slid on the ground, landing mere feet from Konoe and Kimberly. 

A pool of blood was quickly building up beneath him, and Kitty was starting to panic. She knelt beside him, her hands shaking, and tears spilling from her eyes. 

“A-Asato?”

He didn’t answer. 

Kimberly’s eyes widened, a shaky breath leaving her mouth. 

“Asato?!”

Nothing. 

She rolled up her sleeves out of panic, a white light shining from her finger-tips. But before she tried to heal him, Konoe gripped one of her wrists gently. 

“Kitty…he’s gone.” 

She froze when the words hit her ears. They penetrated her like stab-wounds, more tears escaping from her eyes. 

As her sobbing continued, the room started to shake without the devil’s consent. Cracks appeared along the room walls, eventually leading up to the ceiling. As you’d expect, the chandelier fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. 

“K-Kitty?” 

The girl seemed to ignore him, falling into a deep depression. She couldn’t talk. Hell, she couldn’t think. 

It was when Konoe touched her that something happened. 

The cat gasped, falling to his knees. A large chandelier shard had pierced his body, going through his being and sticking out of his mid-chest.


	25. Chapter 24 That Lever Part 2

Snapping out of it, Kimberly caught Konoe before he fell completely. 

“Oh my God! Konoe?! Bae?” She looked down at him, her eyes landing on the sizable shard. “T-that’s a…” Her voice lowered to a whisper, “I did that?”

With the last of his strength, he smiled up at Kitty. “It…not your…fault.” He coughed, blood falling from his mouth. 

“Wait, give me a second. I can fix this. I can fix it!” Kimberly’s hands became bright once more.

She placed them over Konoe’s wound, and watched as the shard removed itself. The hole in his chest started to overfill with blood, her clothes staining with the warm crimson fluid. 

Panicking, she sat her hands over the injury. She felt Konoe flinch, but his movements settled down.

Little by little, his wound closed up. By the time it was fully healed, Kimberly held a hope that Konoe would be alright. 

Looking back to his face, she stared at his void expression. A minute had to pass, and nothing changed. 

Setting him down on the ground, she rested her ear on his chest. When she didn’t hear anything, she removed a few layers of clothing, and repeated the action. She still didn’t hear a heart-beat. 

Not. One. Heart-beat. 

“Konoe Bae?” She placed her pointer finger and middle finger underneath his nose, and waited.

She couldn’t feel him breathing. This meant only one thing. 

He was dead. She killed Konoe. 

Slowly drawing away from his body, Kitty started to cry all over again. She had almost completely forgotten that someone else was present. But she was reminded when she felt a hand rest on her back. 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” a sincere voice said. “I can see that they contributed a great deal to your happiness.” 

Still on her knees, she looked at the Devil of Greed through teary eyes. He was kneeling beside her, with one hand placed on her right shoulder-blade. 

All she could manage was a sniffle, and a single word: “Why?” 

“They cared for you. Unfortunately, their concern for your welfare had to end like this.”

She rested her head against Mammon’s chest, making another sniffling sound. 

“Please, just make it quick.” 

The devil looked down at the human, a small grin coming to his face.

“You believe I want to kill you?” 

The question baffled Kimberly. 

Of course he wanted to kill her! They all wanted to kill her.

“I’m afraid my nature won’t allow me to kill you. I need you far too much to do a reckless thing like that. Instead…why don’t we call this dispute square?” 

Moving her head away from his chest, Kitty’s eyebrow arched. 

Call it square? He was going to let her go? No… But what else could he mean? 

Mammon’s hand reached up to her face, his fingers softly caressing her left cheek. 

“I can turn you into a new person. You can start again with a clean slate. All you have to do is kiss me.”

Is that it? All she had to do was kiss him? 

“Can you take the pain away?” 

He began to lean in, his smile stretching genuinely. “I can try my best.” 

If he can take the guilt away, make her into a new person…than perhaps this will be worth it. Maybe this is fate; this is what was meant to happen. As crazy as it sounded, there could be a chance that God wanted her to start all over again; make new friends…and be with someone else.

‘I’m sorry. Please forgive me, Rai.’

~3 years later~

Kimberly couldn’t remember anything past the day she woke up. She remembered her name. She remembered how old she was, and part of her past. But everything else was hazy. 

Standing at 5’7, with ankle long brown hair, pale skin, and orange eyes, was herself. In addition to her new appearance, Kitty no longer looked human. 

She had ram-like horns that curled upward, to shape the letter ‘c’. They were an inch or so from touching her shoulders, and were black as night. Her nails were also black. And instead of having normal teeth, she had sharp vampire-like fangs.

Mammon told her that she chose this life. He told her that she chose to become a devil. But he never told her why. He claimed it was ‘for her protection’. 

Mammon was a stern, yet fair, master. He never hit Kimberly. If she had to be punished, he’d put her in a dark room until she was desperate to come out. Given her unusual attachment towards her master, it’s never long that she becomes fraught. 

When he rewards her, which is frequent, he’ll cherish her with affection and gifts. It depends on what mood he’s in, really. 

Within the first two weeks, the two became thick as thieves. Eventually, they engaged in a close, personal, relationship. You could consider them boyfriend and girlfriend, though neither would admit to such a term. 

Kitty knew well what her master was. Considering she wasn’t much different, she never gave it much thought. One could say she didn’t care. No matter how you look at it, she was forever indebted to him.

~

Mammon entered Kimberly’s room, and found her sitting on her bed with her eyes closed. She was listening to music, as she habitually did in her spare time. 

Her foot would bob with the beat of the song she was indulging herself with, and once in a while she’d tap a finger. Other than this, she was perfectly still. 

The devil made his way around the bed, and gently sat beside Kitty. She opened her orange eyes immediately, greeting him with a smile.

Moving her headphones to her neck, she sat up in bed. 

“Good morning,” he said, his hand reaching to stroke her cheek. 

In return, she turned her head to kiss the back of his hand, and lean against his palm. She often did this to display her affection. She was too modest to do anything else, unless she happened to be in a bold mood. 

“How is my treasure doing today?” He spoke with a low and calm voice. 

He knew that it always relaxed her.

“I’m well,” she responded. “And yourself?” 

Mammon hummed in thought. 

“I’m much better now.” Suddenly smiling at a thought, his hand came out from behind his back. A small black box, decorated with a golden ribbon, lay on his palm. “For you, my treasure.” 

Seeing the gift made Kimberly’s face light up. 

It’s been a while since he’s given her anything. Her mind could only wonder as to what it could be.

She gently took it from him, and undid the neat golden bow. Setting this to a side, she gingerly lifted the lid to the box. Inside, something was wrapped in white satin. The item must be small.

Reaching inside, she unfastened the cloth. Her eyes seemed to sparkle when set upon a bracelet. 

The band itself was made of gold, but diamonds were fashioned into it. The largest, which happened to be in the middle, was baby blue. 

For a moment, she stared down at it. The shade of blue looked so familiar. It was like she saw it in a dream or something...

Shaking her head, she looked at her master. His face was worry-written, as he stared at her with a soft expression. 

“Is something the matter?” 

Shaking her head no, she leaned over to kiss his lips. Mammon returned it immediately, reaching over to take the bracelet from her, and slid it onto her wrist. 

Parting with a smile, Kimberly gave a sigh. 

“Nothing’s wrong, I promise. I couldn’t be happier.”

Letting a second sigh out of her mouth, she leaned over to rest her head on her master’s lap. He stroked her hair, staring down at Kitty with a longing gaze. 

They were the perfect pair in his eyes. And they will continue to be, forever, and evermore. 

 

The End: Bad End #2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Basically, Mammon couldn't kill her because he's the Devil of Greed. His nature didn't allow him to.  
It's sort of a happy ending...I guess?

<3 Cat


	26. Chapter 25 Going in Part 1

She knew that going alone was a terrible idea. It was probably the worst idea she had. But if she didn’t, a lot of people would get hurt. Some may even die- or Hell, all of them may die! If she was going in, she would be doing it alone. 

Scaling the wall as the dispute continued, she felt a gap with her hand. 

This entrance will have to do. Going anywhere else will risk her plan being exposed. 

Well, it wasn’t much of a plan. But it was the next best thing she could possibly do. 

With her escape mere feet away, she finally darted. She ran as fast as her feet could carry, down this eerie path, and to her unknown destination. 

Would she face a dead end? An empty room? Certain death? She supposes that’s the fun part of the game; guessing. Only in this game, her life is at stake.

Was she making the wrong choice? No. There’s no time for second-guessing. She’s done second-guessing herself, and putting the people she loved in danger. It was her turn to take a bullet. 

The argument was too heavy for any of Kimberly’s comrades to realize her disappearance. She was gone. And by the time any of them noticed, she had a 12 minute head-start. 

Rai’s his left hand came up to his face, his fingers massaging his brow. And he spoke his famous words. 

“Tch, stupid human.” 

~

Kitty panted, her body hunched over to some degree.

It felt like she was in a never-ending loop. The longer she ran down this hall, the more she believed that she was on a treadmill. There was no landmark to distinguish where she was. There was no opening, or sign of life. It was just her; running down a thin, narrow dirt-crafted hallway.

There has to be something she’s missing. She was probably in such a rush that she missed a door- or something, for crying out loud! 

‘Think,’ she thought, ‘You’re stressing yourself out. What am I glossing over? It’s a hallway that seems to have no beginning or end…and there’s only one way.’

Her saw suddenly became slack. 

‘Does this hall only go one way? I’ve been looking for doors and openings. So far, all I’ve done is go straight-on. So what if I just…’

Glancing over, her eyes fell upon a wall. She stepped forward, probably two steps, and placed her hands on the dirt wall. She felt around for a while, suddenly feeling something soft. 

The dirt was loose in this particular spot. But why? Why would the dirt feel loose here, when the rest of the wall was hard as a rock?

Getting back, she readied herself. Turning her body to a side, shook her limbs- as if getting ready for a marathon. 

Let’s do this. 

And out of nowhere, she rammed her body- shoulder and weight- into the loose region of the barrier. She felt some cave in, but the majority of the wall was still there. So, she repeated the process. But this time, she fell through to the other side. 

On dry dirt, she remained on the ground, on her hands and knees. 

She was afraid to look up. What would she see if she did? 

Devils? A meat hoard, with giant pieces of human flesh hung on meat hooks? 

Her eyes slowly rose up, in due course landing on…a dining room? Yes. It was a dining room; a lavish one, at that.

The fluffy rug under toe was blood red, and a long rectangular mahogany table was in the center of the room, with silver and gold chairs outlining it. To the left was a grand fireplace that kept the room warm, and above was a glass chandelier with dangling crystals. These crystals were black and white- some transparent, and others not. 

Sitting in the three golden chairs, at the dining room table, were the people she was trying to get away from. 

At the other side of a single silver chair, Beliar sat. To his left was Mammon, and to his right, Cassius. They also sat in gold-crafted chairs. 

This silver chair I brought up was at the end of the table, although a plate of food was set before it. This would mean that Beliar was sitting in ‘the front’ seat.

For someone who was in a group that had no leader, he sure took it upon himself to be the center of everything. He talked for the other devils, he sat at the front of the dining room table, and even now, he appeared to be more…smug than the rest. 

Beliar leaned back in his chair, his legs crossed, and a glass of- what Kimberly hoped was wine- in his left hand. His right hand propped his head up, the elbow the center of support. 

“You’re late,” he casually spoke. “Did you expect us to come get you, or did you want to be fashionably late?” 

Fashionably definitely wasn’t a word to describe her right now. With dirty clothes, her shirt damp with sweat and her pants unusually sticky, she was anything but. The fact that her hair was still decent looking was a wonder in itself. 

Slowly getting up, she dusted her clothes off. “Gotta make an impression, don’t I?”

Cassius gestured to the empty seat. “Sit down, stay a while. We’ll allow it, as long as you promise to behave.” 

Let’s see…if she disagrees, she’ll die. But she’s dead if she sits down too. 

Turning around, expecting to see an opening, Kimberly’s dark avocado-green orbs landed on a cement wall. Just to make sure it was real, she poked the stable brick.

It was real.

“Take a load off. You’ve been running around for what- an hour straight? I’d be unfair to kill you now, while you’re scarcely able to walk. If we’re going to kill you, we want you to think you have somewhat of a chance.” Beliar’s words sounded sarcastic, but honest. It was an unusual combination to say the least.

But his tone was the least of her worries. She was invited to a dinner with devils. How interesting. 

Gracefully sitting down in the empty chair, she crossed her legs to politely mock the person sitting in front of her. He didn’t seem to care. Or, he was too dumb to catch on. 

“So, tell us a little about yourself, Kimberly.” The black haired bastard took a sip from his glass, and sat it down. 

“Yes, I’m intrigued to know more about you,” Mammon agreed. 

Her eyes traveled around the room while they spoke.

She didn’t see any exits. She didn’t see any hiding places. She just saw the room. 

“How unexpectedly civil of you to ask,” she droned uninterestedly. “But, there’s not much to tell.”

“Now, now, don’t be so modest,” Cassius teased, “Come on. Tell us about your family.” 

Deadpanning suddenly, Kitty’s fists balled up underneath the table. Her eyes lowered before meeting with everyone else’s perplexed looks. 

“I don’t have one,” she evenly replied. Even if her tone was cool and steady, you could tell that she was unhappy. “My parents died, my new ones were never around, and my siblings wanted nothing to do with me. There. Are you satisfied now?”

Her cold eyes traveled along each devil’s face. Mammon’s held visible sympathy, but the others were pokerfaced. 

“That’s…unfortunate,” Beliar sighed. “What do you do in your leisure?”

Like that, her smirk returned. 

“I kill crude fuckwit cockstorm benders like yourself.”

His nonchalant expression dropped, a ‘not so nice’ one replacing it quickly. Clicking his tongue, she looked away.

“The nerve you have…” Closing his eyes to compose himself, a smile appeared on his face. Turning to Kimberly again, he slightly lifted his chin. 

“I can see that small talk isn’t quite your forte. So if you don’t mind, I’ll get straight to the point.” Taking a deep breath in, he paused. “We’re having second thoughts about killing you.”

Both of Kimberly’s eyebrows arched. 

They were having second thoughts? Was this a ploy? Were they going to kill her when they least expected it? Or…were they really telling the truth? If they are, then there has to be a catch. They aren’t going to let her go, that’s for certain. So what were their angles?

“Distributing your power to each of us is like splitting a 100 dollar bill three ways. We won’t get the power equally. We’d get precisely 33.33%. Therefore, we have a problem, and you have two choices. A: you can choose one of us to give your soul to. Or B: become one of us, the Fourth Deadly Sin. Mind you, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It will never be offered again.”

Kitty’s astonished face twisted, a smile stretching along her face. Then, a laugh. It was a boisterous laugh.

She could not believe what she was hearing. They were crazy if they thought she would agree to either one of those choices!

“Or,” she wiped an invisible tear from her right eye, and sighed. “You can call it a day, and let me and my friends go. That’s always a good option.” 

Leaning forward, Beliar attempted to get closer. His voice dipped into a soft, serious tendency. 

“The only thing you have in common with that cat is: you’re just as prideful. If I were you, I’d reconsider before your time runs out. You have an hour before we decide for you. Until next time.” In a puff of black smoke, he disappeared.

The other two devils vanished not long afterwards, leaving Kimberly in the dining room alone. All the company she had now was her thoughts.

‘Rai…I’m sorry. It was my fault- all my fault for going off alone. Please, find me soon.’


	27. Chapter 26 Going in Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is the last chapter for now. Sorry. I don't want to mess up the ending, therefore its going to be a little more of a wait).

Beliar entered his throne room, a scowl imprinted on his face. As soon as he got the chance, he began pacing. 

This girl- this human- was too much. How dare she insult him! It’s as if she thinks this is all a game. It’s like she has no idea who he was, or what he’s capable of! If he wanted to, he could snap her like a twig. 

Still, he can’t kill her. He’s already made that clear. She’s valuable, dead or alive. But what good was the power if it was going to be divided amongst the three of them? So much power he could wield…

And now Beliar saw the true obstacle. Well, more like obstacles. 

With any other circumstances, he wouldn’t care to share this power. After all, sharing is caring. But with Mammon and Cassius around to steal it from him, he has no choice.

Either this girl kisses him and becomes his newest plaything, or he kills her and takes the power, becoming the most powerful devil in the universe. No matter how you look at it, he was going to win. Kimberly wasn’t bad looking…but her disrespect. Her attitude. Thinking about it made his blood boil. 

Letting a sigh escape his mouth, Beliar collapsed on his throne. 

The black marble was hard, but comfortable enough to sit in for long periods of time. The chair was intimidating, to some extent. Tusks and skulls decorated the exterior, but not by his intent.

You see, a devil’s throne takes the personality of the devil. Tusks and skulls meant that he was merciless and powerful, but the marble suggested a softer side to him. He once had a softer side once upon a time, but as the years passed, he grew out of that stage. 

Belier supposes every devil goes through that stage; the stage where they don’t like who they are, thus trying to change their instinct. Live a few thousand years, and your feelings will change. You will see just how unforgiving the world is, and how selfish the people that inhabit it truly are. 

Cat or Human, it made no difference. They were the same being, just evolved. They only cared for themselves, or did things in the name of what’s right- or better yet, out of their self-proclaimed love. 

Thank goodness those ideas don’t occupy his victim’s thoughts often. That was the only good thing about this new species. They relied off animal intuition, more than thought. That made them so pliable, it’s almost saddening. 

Crossing his legs, Belier smiled at his thoughts.

‘Oh look, it’s time to see how our guest is doing. Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?’

~Meanwhile with Kimberly~

15 minutes alone, and Kitty was already beginning to go batty. She had named the walls, if you’re wondering just how bad her state has gotten. 

“What, you haven’t tried to run off yet?” 

After turning to see who it was, Kimberly’s dark green orbs went to Cassius. He was leaning against the wall, near the fireplace. This happened to be not far from where she was.

She was sitting on the floor, near the cement wall that she thought for sure was open. Eventually, she indulged herself in the idea that if she waited, it may turn back to normal. 

“So I can give you bastards a show? ‘Oh look, she’s trying to run again! Grab the popcorn. Let’s see how far she gets before she notices she’s running in circles!’ No thanks.” 

Cassius smiled, sitting on the ground in front of her. 

“Well, you could always ask me to get you out of here.”

She stared at him with a doubtful expression. It only made his smile grow. 

“You don’t believe me? Or do you need a reason to?” 

“Both.” 

The devil’s tail wrapped around his body like a cat, as he casually shrugged. 

“I know Belier. We’re closer than what you call best friends. Therefore, I know he’s going to fuck us up the ass when it comes to it. He’s a power-mongrel. He gets off on playing leader. Don’t think for a moment that he won’t toss us to the side, and kill you so he can take the power for himself. I know better than to believe such a ridiculous thing.” 

‘So this was to benefit him. That explains it, I guess.’

“What did you have in mind?”

“You have a nifty gift, don’t you,” Cassius raised an eyebrow, “Why don’t you communicate with one of your comrades? I’d suggest someone you’re close to. It’s easier to enter their mind, assuming that they think of you often.” 

She can be a Telepathic?! Why the hell didn’t she know about this before?

“So what are you going to do,” she pressed. 

“Me? I’m going to stall. I’m not one for fighting my own kind, but if I have to…” Sighing, he stood up. “Be quick. You only have 30 minutes left, and we devils are very punctual.”

Nodding, Kimberly watched as he disappeared into thin air. 

Was this a trick? If it was, then he should have thought of something a little more creative than that. Furthermore, should she even trust him? He was on the rivaling side. 

“What choice do I have,” she mumbled. 

Closing her eyes, she thought of Rai. She thought of his soft long hair, his smile, his touch…how his eyes glisten in the right angle of light, what it would be like to be in the same room as him, and what he would tell her if he saw her once more. 

“Tch, stupid human girl.”

Opening her eyes, she looked round. She was still in the same dark dining room, alone. 

But she heard Rai’s voice! That’s impossible, isn’t it?

Closing her eyes again, she let out a sigh. 

“I should have kept her near me. Damn devils probably knew she was gone. Why would she leave on her own?”

These…these were Rai’s thoughts. She was in Rai’s head!

“Rai,” she spoke aloud.

“Kimberly?” 

His voice was more like an echo now. Maybe he was talking out loud like she was? 

“Rai, its Kitty. Can you hear me?”

“Yes, where are you?”

“I’m in a dining room, I think. The devils have me locked in here. There’s no door, no way out…”

“Leaks wants me to ask: does anything look redundant? Does the pattern of the décor look the same color, or is something over-portioned?” 

She opened her eyes to look around. A lot of things looked redundant. But the only thing that stuck out was…

“The fire-place?” 

“Kitty, listen closely. The fire isn’t real. It’s a portal between the devil’s territory, and ours.”

She placed her hand near the flames, and felt the heat. 

‘I don’t know…it looks and feels real to me…’

“Rai, are you sure?” 

“Trust me.” 

The words penetrated her instantly. 

Of course she trusted him. There’s nobody she trusted more!

Taking a deep breath in, she started to crawl towards the fireplace. Kimberly outstretched her hand, moving it closer to the glass doors. But when her fingers touched the supposed hot handles, she felt nothing at all. Actually, it was cold. 

“Heh…”

And she opened the doors, careful not to make much sound. When she did this, the fire looked different. It was transparent, even a white shade.

Nodding to herself, she crawled inside. When the flames touched her skin, she was swallowed into the mass. Farther, and farther more she traveled. When her body was no longer in the dining room, she felt herself fall from a stunning height. 

THUD

Water dripped from her clothes and hair, as she probably fell from the ceiling.

Kitty gasped for air, sitting up to meet a pair of legs standing before her. Her eyes followed up the limbs, suddenly meeting a familiar face. 

Leaping from the ground, she didn’t care that she almost lost her balance. She threw herself into the arms of Rai, hot tears flowing from her eyes. 

Strong arms wrapped around her immediately, Rai drawing her nearer. 

“Oh my God,” she sobbed, “I thought *hic* I’d never see you again.” 

“Tch, of course you would have seen me again.” 

Pulling away from the hug, Rai started to check Kimberly for injuries. He started with her arms, eventually going down to her ankles, up to her kneecaps.

“Are you hurt? Where?” 

Smiling, the human girl allowed him to continue his examination.

“Why are you smiling? Does something amuse you?”


	28. ATENTION

I am going to hold off on all good endings- ALL good endings- until most of the books are done. It's not because I don't want to finish the story, I'm stuck, or I got bored. It's simply because I want all the good endings to connect in some way, shape or form.   
Note that I will still be posting bad endings, one or more.  
Thank you. Please expect another route!

<3 Cat


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